Recent advances in copper analyses by inorganic mass spectrometry

Copper (Cu) participates in the biological redox reaction in the body, and its deficiency is fatal to the body. At the same time, Cu is extremely toxic when it exists in excess. Thus, the body has to tightly and spatiotemporally regulate the concentration of Cu within a physiological range by several groups of Cu-regulating proteins. However, entire mechanisms underlying the maintenance of Cu homeostasis in body and cells have not fully understood. It is necessary to analyze Cu itself in a body and in a cell to reveal the Cu homeostasis. In this review, recent advances in the analytical techniques to understand the Cu metabolism such as speciation, imaging and single-cell analysis of Cu were highlighted.