A novel calibration strategy based on internal standard–spiked gelatine for quantitative bio-imaging by LA-ICP-MS: application to renal localization and quantification of uranium

Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) has been employed for the elemental bio-distribution and quantification of uranium (U) in histological tissue sections of rodent kidneys. Kidneys were immediately immersed into 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA) solution for 24 h, Tissue-Tek O.C.T. Compound embedded and stored at − 80 °C until cutting in a cryostat, and mounted in gel-covered glass slides. In order to assure complete ablation of sample, sample preparation and laser conditions were carefully optimized. In this work, a new analytical methodology is presented for performing quantitative laser ablation analyses based on internal standard (thulium, Tm)–spiked gelatine (10% m/v) for correction of matrix effects, lack of tissue homogeneity, and instrumental drift. In parallel, matrix-matched laboratory standards, dosed at different concentrations of U, were prepared from a pool of rat kidneys. The quantitative images of cryo-sections revealed heterogeneous distribution of uranium within the renal tissue, because the cortical concentration was up to 120-fold higher than the medullary concentration. Graphical abstract