A simple, rapid method for simultaneous determination of multiple elements in serum by using an ICP-MS equipped with collision cell

We developed an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method for testing 23 elements, namely, Mg, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, W, Tl, Pb, and U, in human serum. The serum samples were analyzed after diluting 1/25 with 0.5% nitric acid, 0.02% Triton-X-100, and 2% methanol. Sc, In, Y, Tb, and Bi were assigned internal standards to correct the baseline drift and matrix interference. The kinetic energy discrimination mode of the instrument with helium gas as the collision gas eliminated polyatomic interference. All 23 elements exhibited excellent linearity in their testing range, with a coefficient of determination ≥ 0.9996. The limits of detection of the 23 elements were within the range of 0.0004–0.2232 µg/L. The intra- and inter-day precision (relative standard deviation) were < 12.19%. The recoveries of the spiked standard for all elements were 88.98–109.86%. Among the 23 elements of the serum reference materials, the measured results of Mg, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Se were within the specified range of the certificate, and the results of the other elements were also satisfactory. The developed method was simple, rapid, and effective, and only 60 μL sample was consumed. A total of 1000 serum samples from healthy individuals were randomly selected from the Henan Rural Cohort, which reflects the status of serum elements in rural adults from the Northern Henan province of central China.