Determination of 21 elements in human serum using ICP-MS with collision/reaction cell

A high-throughput, low sample consumption and sensitive method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 21 elements in human serum using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) with collision/reaction cell technique. Instead of the common acid dilution method, weak alkali dilution was used to prepare the samples. As the human blood pH is in the range of 7.35-7.45, weak alkali dilution has less impact on the sample components. Usage of Reaction mode with NH3 was necessary for Al, Cr and Se. Collision with Helium could reduce polyatomic interference effectively for Mg, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Ga and As. The reliability of the method was tested using serum reference materials (ClinChek (R) Control, Level I and Level II). Results of the serum reference matched well with the certified values. Finally, 83 serum samples from healthy individuals were analyzed in this work, which provided important reference value for diagnosis of diseases caused by elements disorder. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.