Validating a Single-Particle ICP-MS Method to Measure Nanoparticles in Human Whole Blood for Nanotoxicology

With the rising use of nanomaterials in everyday objects, an uptake of those materials by humans is very likely. To assess their effect on the body, reliable detection of nanoparticles even in very low amounts in human blood becomes increasingly important. Single-particle (SP) inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is a fast and reliable method for counting and sizing particles at lowest concentrations, while simultaneously distinguishing between dissolved and particulate analytes. For the first time to our knowledge, a dedicated method validation approach for silver and gold nanoparticle analysis in human whole blood has been performed. With only little sample preparation, trueness expressed as bias with values below or equal to 5% and imprecision values below 6% for particle size as well as an effective limit of detection of around 20 nm are possible. The concentration working range throughout all measured samples was in the nanogram per liter range, making SP-ICP-MS a powerful tool in future nanotoxicological applications and trace analysis of nanoparticles.