Monitoring of platinum in a single hair by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) after cisplatin treatment for cancer

Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was used to quantify and monitor the concentration of Pt along a single strand of hair from a patient who had been treated with cisplatin as cytostatic drug. The sensitivity of the analytical method developed could be increased by total ablation of the hair cross-section compared to partial ablation. A low-noise intensity ratio was obtained along the strand, while the blank was negligible. The variation of the Pt signal with reference to each cisplatin dose was clearly observed. Home-made standards consisting of Pt-enriched hair strands served as calibrators and sulphur (measuring 34S+) was used as the internal reference element. The correlation coefficient of the calibration curve for platinum was 0.9973 and the detection limit was 0.029 μg g−1. The rate of hair growth between doses was constant. The mean relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) for five replicates of single hair strands ranged from 15 to 22%. The maximum concentrations of Pt found along the hair strands were 26.9 ± 5.3, 14.7 ± 3.3, 20.9 ± 3.9 and 26.1 ± 3.8 μg g−1, which correspond to four treatment of cisplatin administered to the patient at 3-week intervals.