Bioimaging of macro- and microelements in blood vessels with calcified plaque in atherosclerosis obliterans by LA-ICP-MS

Abstract In order to visualize the distribution of chemical elements in arterial walls and atherosclerotic plaque the laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) was applied. As a result, the signals of structural elements in arterial wall and plaque (C, S, P, Ca), as well as trace and toxic elements (Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Co, Sr, Mo, Cd, Ba, Pb) in arterial walls were presented as two-dimensional maps. The bioimaging maps showed heterogeneous distribution of almost all analyzed elements. The elements which build up a plaque (Ca, P, Mg, Sr, Ba) are clearly distinguished from the arterial wall tissue, which in turn is composed mainly of C, S and trace elements. The highest signals of Zn were measured in the area connecting the arterial wall and atherosclerotic plaque which might be due to the presence of increased amount and activity of matrix metalloproteinases in arterial wall. The LA-ICP-MS provided data on the distribution of macro- and microelements, as well as toxic elements, in the soft tissues of arterial wall and the calcified plaque. The statistical analysis of data based on non-parametric tests and principal components analysis was performed, which revealed specific relations in distribution of measured elements.