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Living in a transient world: ICP-MS reinvented via time-resolved analysis for monitoring single events
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This review describes how time-resolved ICP-MS analysis has transformed the technique from bulk elemental analysis into a tool for characterizing individual nanoparticles and single cells, enabling detection and characterization of nanoplastics and other nano-objects in complex samples.
After 40 years of development, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) can hardly be considered as a novel technique anymore. ICP-MS has become the reference when it comes to multi-element bulk analysis at (ultra)trace levels, as well as to isotope ratio determination for metal(loid)s. However, over the last decade, this technique has managed to uncover an entirely new application field, providing information in a variety of contexts related to the individual analysis of single entities (e.g., nanoparticles, cells, or micro/nanoplastics), thus addressing new societal challenges. And this profound expansion of its application range becomes even more remarkable when considering that it has been made possible in an a priori simple way: by providing faster data acquisition and developing the corresponding theoretical substrate to relate the time-resolved signals thus obtained with the elemental composition of the target entities. This review presents the underlying concepts behind single event-ICP-MS, which are needed to fully understand its potential, highlighting key areas of application (e.g., single particle-ICP-MS or single cell-ICP-MS) as well as of future development (e.g., micro/nanoplastics).
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Researchers characterized the capabilities of an ICP time-of-flight mass spectrometry instrument for single-droplet and single-particle analysis, demonstrating its high sensitivity for simultaneously detecting multiple elements in individual microdroplets, nanoparticles, and microplastic particles.
Think Beyond Particle Cytotoxicity: When Self-Cellular Components Released After Immunogenic Cell Death Explain Chronic Disease Development
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This review covers methods for detecting and quantifying nanoplastics in environmental samples, highlighting the significant analytical challenges posed by their small size. Techniques including pyrolysis-GC/MS and single-particle ICP-MS are discussed as promising approaches.
Coupling single particle ICP-MS with field-flow fractionation for characterizing metal nanoparticles contained in nanoplastic colloids
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A combination of field-flow fractionation and single-particle ICP-MS was used to characterize composite particles containing metal nanoparticles in a polymer matrix, simulating what happens when plastic particles age in the environment and accumulate metals. This analytical approach helps reveal the complex chemical nature of weathered microplastics.
Investigating the Cellular Uptake of Model Nanoplastics by Single-Cell ICP-MS
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Researchers developed gold-doped polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride nanoparticles as model nanoplastics and used single-cell ICP-MS to investigate their cellular uptake. The study demonstrated that this approach enables rapid, high-throughput detection of nanoplastic interactions with cells, providing a valuable tool for understanding how environmentally relevant nanoplastics behave at the cellular level.
Development of single-cell ICP-TOFMS to measure nanoplastics association with human cells
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Researchers developed a new single-cell analytical technique using ICP-TOFMS to measure how nanoplastic particles associate with individual human cells. This method enables detection of nanoplastics at the single-cell level, offering a more precise way to study how these tiny plastic particles interact with human tissues. The approach addresses a critical gap in understanding nanoplastic exposure and uptake in biological systems.
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