SPECTROSCOPIC TRACE ELEMENT ANALYSIS IN BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES

Abstract

Trace elements are inorganic components that have important functions in our body. Their levels are important for the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases in the living body, as well as detection of conditions such as toxicity and exposure. Such trace elements can be easily detected in biological materials of living things such as blood, tissue, urine, hair, nails, organs and masses. Sometimes, even in routine analyses, the levels of these elements are quickly determined in low amounts of blood samples. Since elemental determination of biological samples is a very laborious process, sample collection, preparation and measurement with the correct method and instrument are of great importance in terms of accuracy. For this purpose, in our study, we aimed to provide general information about the instruments and methods that enable trace element analysis in biological samples. Especially analytical devices and spectroscopic techniques were mentioned. In this study, we examined the spectroscopic devices that perform elemental analysis: Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS), Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS), Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS). Their advantages and disadvantages against each other in biological analyzes were discussed. From this perspective, ICP MS was found to be the most efficient device for analyzing biological samples