Serum Lowers Bioactivity and Uptake of Synthetic Amorphous Silica by Alveolar Macrophages in a Particle Specific Manner.

Various cell types are compromised by synthetic amorphous silica (SAS) if they are exposed to SAS under protein-free conditions in vitro. Addition of serum protein can mitigate most SAS effects, but it is not clear whether this is solely caused by protein corona formation and/or altered particle uptake. Because sensitive and reliable mass spectrometric measurements of SiO2 NP are cumbersome, quantitative uptake studies of SAS at the cellular level are largely missing. In this study, we combined the comparison of SAS effects on alveolar macrophages in the presence and absence of foetal calf serum with mass spectrometric measurement of 28Si in alkaline cell lysates. Effects on the release of lactate dehydrogenase, glucuronidase, TNFα and H2O2 of precipitated (SIPERNAT® 50, SIPERNAT® 160) and fumed SAS (AEROSIL® OX50, AEROSIL® 380 F) were lowered close to control level by foetal calf serum (FCS) added to the medium. Using a quantitative high resolution ICP-MS measurement combined with electron microscopy, we found that FCS reduced the uptake of particle mass by 9.9% (SIPERNAT® 50) up to 83.8% (AEROSIL® OX50). Additionally, larger particle agglomerates were less frequent in cells in the presence of FCS. Plotting values for lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glucuronidase (GLU) or tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) against the mean cellular dose showed the reduction of bioactivity with a particle sedimentation bias. As a whole, the mitigating effects of FCS on precipitated and fumed SAS on alveolar macrophages are caused by a reduction of bioactivity and by a lowered internalization, and both effects occur in a particle specific manner. The method to quantify nanosized SiO2 in cells is a valuable tool for future in vitro studies.

The use of matrix-specific calibrations for oxygen in analytical glow discharge spectrometry.

The performance of glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry for oxygen determination is investigated using a set of new conductive samples containing oxygen in the percent range in three different matrices (Al, Mg, and Cu) prepared by a sintering process. The sputtering rate corrected calibrations obtained at standard conditions for the 4 mm anode (700 V, 20 mA) in GD-OES are matrix independent for Mg and Al but not for Cu. The importance of a "blue shifted" line of oxygen at 130.22 nm (first reported by Köster) for quantitative analyses by GD-OES is confirmed. Matrix-specific calibrations for oxygen in GD-MS are presented. Two source concepts-fast flow (ELEMENT GD) and low gas flow (VG9000)-are evaluated obtaining higher sensitivity with the static flow source. Additional experiments using Ar-He mixtures or µs pulsed GD are carried out in ELEMENT GD aiming to improve the oxygen sensitivity.

Flow injection combined with ICP-MS for accurate high throughput analysis of elemental impurities in pharmaceutical products according to USP <232>/<233>.

New guidelines of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), European Pharmacopeia (EP) and international organization (ICH, International Conference on Harmonization) regulating elemental impurity limits in pharmaceuticals seal the end of unspecific analysis of metal(oid)s as outlined in USP <231> and EP 2.4.8. Chapter USP <232> and EP 5.20 as well as drafts from ICH Q3D specify both daily doses and concentration limits of metallic impurities in pharmaceutical final products and in active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and excipients. In chapters USP <233> and EP 2.4.20 method implementation, validation and quality control during the analytical process are described. By contrast with the--by now--applied methods, substance specific quantitative analysis features new basic requirements, further, significantly lower detection limits ask for the necessity of a general changeover of the methodology toward sensitive multi element analysis by ICP-AES and ICP-MS, respectively. A novel methodological approach based on flow injection analysis and ICP-SFMS/ICP-QMS for the quick and accurate analysis of Cd, Pb, As, Hg, Ir, Os, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, Cr, Mo, Ni, V, Cu, Mn, Fe and Zn in drug products by prior dilution, dissolution or microwave assisted closed vessel digestion according to the regulations is presented. In comparison to the acquisition of continuous signals, this method is advantageous with respect to the unprecedented high sample throughput due to a total analysis time of approximately 30s and the low sample consumption of below 50 µL, while meeting the strict USP demands on detection/quantification limits, precision and accuracy.

Glow discharge mass spectrometry.

Over the past twenty years or so, glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS) has become the industry standard for the analysis of trace elements in metals and semiconductors. A review of its history is followed by a picture of the present situation and a look to where the future may lie. Applications are summarised, including the ability of GDMS to offer depth-resolved data and non-conductor analysis, and the well-documented quantitative nature of the results is reviewed. The effects resulting from the physical properties of the analyte material are discussed at length. Finally, recent work such as "fast flow" sources and pulsed glow discharges is reviewed.