Trace 56Fe, 63/65Cu and 64Zn metal analysis in whole blood by SEC-HPLC-ICPMS

Trace metals have important biological roles to play within the human body. This work investigated the presence of 56Fe, 63/65Cu and 64Zn in blood and utilised dried blood spot sampling (DBS) technology. Blood was taken from one female subject and extraction conditions were optimised. Extracted samples were analysed by SEC-HPLC for protein separation and SEC-HPLC-ICP-MS for metal detection. Proteins from the blood samples separated via SEC-HPLC were found to be haemoglobin, myoglobin and transferrin; SEC-HPLC-ICPMS metal determination saw correlated peaks of 56Fe, 63/65Cu. However, 64Zn peaks were much weaker and could therefore only be tentatively identified.