Miyashita Shin-ichi, Groombridge Alexander S, Fujii Shin-ichiro, Takatsu Akiko, Chiba Koichi, Inagaki Kazumi
Environmental Standards Section, National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.
Anal Sci. 2014;30(2):219-24. doi: 10.2116/analsci.30.219.
Time-resolved inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has attracted much attention for elemental and multiparametric analysis of single cells, instead of a classical bulk analysis of large amount of cells after a dissolution. In the time-resolved measurement, cells are directly introduced into the plasma via nebulizing or micro drop dispensing, and then ion plumes corresponding to single cells are individually detected with a high time resolution. The sensitivity and cell throughput in the measurement strongly depend on the time resolution. A high cell introduction efficiency into the plasma supports for a reduction of cell consumption. Biomolecules can also be measured through the attachment of elemental tags, and then the amount distribution of elements and biomolecules in single cells can be evaluated, while providing information concerning cell-to-cell variations. By applying ICP time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ICP-TOFMS), multiparametric analysis of elements and biomolecules can be achieved similar to that by a flow cytometer. This article highlights the technical aspects of the time-resolved ICP-MS measurement technique for elemental and multiparametric analysis of single cells.
时间分辨电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）已引起人们对单细胞元素和多参数分析的广泛关注，而不是像传统方法那样在溶解大量细胞后进行整体分析。在时间分辨测量中，细胞通过雾化或微滴分配直接引入等离子体，然后以高时间分辨率单独检测对应于单个细胞的离子羽流。测量中的灵敏度和细胞通量在很大程度上取决于时间分辨率。将细胞高效引入等离子体有助于减少细胞消耗。生物分子也可以通过连接元素标签进行测量，进而可以评估单个细胞中元素和生物分子的含量分布，同时提供有关细胞间差异的信息。通过应用电感耦合等离子体飞行时间质谱法（ICP-TOFMS），可以实现与流式细胞仪类似的元素和生物分子多参数分析。本文重点介绍了用于单细胞元素和多参数分析的时间分辨ICP-MS测量技术的技术要点。
