Quantifying Titanium Exposure in Lung Tissues: A Novel Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Elemental Imaging-Based...

Occupational and environmental exposures, particularly those related to urban and suburban atmospheres, are increasingly linked to a range of pulmonary diseases. While diagnostic methods for these diseases are well established, analytical tools for assessing elemental contamination in lung tissue remain underutilized. This study introduces a novel framework based on laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for the in situ quantification of elemental titanium (Ti) in lung tissues from both animal models and human specimens. Rigorous validation is conducted using animal models exposed to TiO₂ P25 nanoparticles and a comparative analysis with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The novel quantitative metric $$ demonstrates robust correlation with elemental concentrations, expanding LIBS utility to volumetric organ analysis. This validated methodology is subsequently applied to human lung specimens preserved in paraffin. The research holds significant promise as a diagnostic tool for assessing exposure levels to environmental or occupational hazards, thereby offering valuable contributions to the fields of toxicology and respiratory medicine.