Comparison of PIXE and SXRF analysis for kinetic studies in cell pharmacology of platinum and gold compounds

Abstract The analytical conditions in PIXE and SXRF are studied in order to optimize the detection of platinum and gold compounds in the cell and in their subcellular fractions. Calibration curves, reproducibility and detection limits were obtained with both techniques and compared. The best detection limit was achieved with SXRF. Preliminary data on the cellular pharmacokinetics of cisplatinum and gold selective distribution in nuclei were obtained by the above techniques.