Biopsy mineral analysis by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy with ultrasonic nebulization.

Liver copper concentration is generally considered the best measure of copper nutritional status in cattle. Ultrasonic nebulization in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) was investigated as a method to provide adequate sensitivity to allow accurate simultaneous measurement of copper and 14 additional elements from needle biopsy samples. The element concentration frequency distribution profile of 12 elements routinely present in liver was compared to profiles of the elements in fat, muscle, vena cava, kidney, and clotted blood. The profiles could be used to confirm the authenticity of the liver biopsy sample. Element concentrations in biopsy samples taken in triplicate from the five lobes of a bovine liver were compared to those from triplicate wedge sections taken adjacent to the biopsies and analyzed by conventional ICP-AES. Precision between biopsies was equal to or better than precision between wedge samples. Some element concentrations determined by the biopsy procedure differed statistically from those determined by the wedge procedure, but differences were not sufficient to influence clinical interpretation of data.