Single-Cell ICP-MS Analysis: Quantifying the Metal Concentration of Unicellular Organisms at the Cellular Level

Accurate quantification of the metal content of individual cells is vital to understanding the uptake mechanisms for risk and dosimetry assessments in environmental and human health sciences. Traditional methods use nominal mass concentrations, missing vital information on metal distribution and the variations that occur at the unicellular level. In this study, we use single-cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and discuss the steps required for a successful single-cell ICP-MS analysis using a mammalian case study of the uptake of cisplatin into ovarian cancer cells and an ecotoxicological example of the uptake of dissolved and nanoparticulate gold into freshwater algae cells.