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Correlative Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis, Light Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, and X-ray Microanalysis for Qualitative and Quantitative Detection of Colloidal Gold Spheres in Biological Specimens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2005

Julián F. Hillyer  and
Ralph M. Albrecht
Julián F. Hillyer
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706
Ralph M. Albrecht
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health and Biomedical Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1656 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706
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Abstract

Colloidal gold, conjugated to ligands or antibodies, is routinely used as a label for the detection of cell structures by light (LM) and electron microscopy (EM). To date, several methods to count the number of colloidal gold labels have been employed with limited success. Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), a physical method for the analysis of the elemental composition of materials, can be used to provide a quantitative index of gold accumulation in bulk specimens. Given that gold is not naturally found in biological specimens in any substantial amount and that colloidal gold and ligand conjugates can be prepared to yield uniform bead sizes, the amount of label can be calculated in bulk biological samples by INAA. Here we describe the use of INAA, LM, transmission EM, and X-ray microanalysis (EDX) in a model to determine both distribution (localization) and amount of colloidal gold at the organ, tissue, cellular, and ultrastructural levels in whole animal systems following administration. In addition, the sensitivity for gold in biological specimens by INAA is compared with that of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The correlative use of INAA, LM, TEM, and EDX can be useful, for example, in the quantitative and qualitative tracking of various labeled molecular species following administration in vivo.

Keywords

inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometrycorrelative microscopyimmunolabelingimmu-nocytochemistryquantitationdistributionmice
Type
Research Article
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 4 , Issue 5 , October 1998 , pp. 481 - 490
Copyright
© 2005 Microscopy Society of America

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