TOTAL CONTENT OF CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS IN SERUM OF WISTAR RATS BY AN OPTIMIZED METHOD OF ICP-MS

In the Odontology field, the modeling process of alveolar bone has been a topic of investigation for the last years since the lost bone after tooth extraction can preclude aesthetic and function. In this practice, the volume of the tissue to be modeled depends on, among other factors, the serum levels of calcium and phosphorus, and it is of interest to monitor these elements to better understand the mechanism of tissue regeneration. These elements are routinely analyzed for clinical purposes, as serum constituents, by UV-VIS spectrophotometry after chromogenic reactions for each metal with different reagents. Depending on the analytical demands and work objectives, it is necessary to have methods based on technologies that allow multi-element quantification in a single experiment. In this context, ICP-MS has been considered a powerful tool for rapid multi-element analysis due to its high selectivity and sensitivity. However, it has been reported that samples with high content of salts and proteins, such as serum samples, cause matrix-induced interferences due to weak sample preparation and the presence of polyatomic ions. The present study aimed to identify and mitigate matrix effects in rat serum samples during the simultaneous quantification of calcium and phosphate using ICP-MS and evaluate its capability of differentiating element levels from Wistar rats subjected to tooth extraction with and without alveolar bone grafting. In addition, the optimized method can be used for more comprehensive mineralomics studies related to the bone modeling process in future studies.