Quantitative imaging of platinum-based antitumor complexes in bone tissue samples using LA-ICP-MS

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Effective treatments for bone metastases are limited by poor drug penetration into bone tissue.
• Current platinum-based drugs struggle to reach and impact bone metastases effectively.
• A quantitative imaging method is crucial for assessing platinum drug delivery to bone.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a spatially resolved quantitative imaging method for platinum distribution in bone.
• To assess the feasibility of using platinum-containing drugs for bone metastases treatment.

Main Methods:

• Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used for platinum distribution analysis in mouse tibia sections.
• Micro X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (μXRF) was employed for elemental analysis.
• Polymer-based matrix-matched standards were utilized for platinum quantification.

Main Results:

• Strong correlation observed between bone tissue imaging and elemental signals (calcium, phosphorous) via LA-ICP-MS and μXRF.
• Achieved a limit of detection of 6 μg/g for platinum with linearity spanning nearly three decades.
• Quantified platinum concentrations exceeding 300 μg/g in tibia samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed LA-ICP-MS method provides powerful visualization and quantification of platinum in bone.
• This technique is valuable for understanding platinum drug delivery mechanisms.
• Optimizing platinum-containing drugs for bone diseases, such as bone metastases, is now more feasible.