Quantification of Molybdenum in Zebrafish Embryo Tissue Using Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy

Abstract

Molybdenum plays an important role in the human body as a cofactor for metabolic processes. An excess of molybdenum may lead to toxicity that causes gout-like symptoms, while too little molybdenum can be fatal. How increased molybdenum exposure affects early development is not well known. To address this question, zebrafish embryos were used to study different concentrations of molybdenum and quantify the amount of molybdenum in the tissue after treatment. Here we implemented a protocol to quantify the amount of molybdenum solution in zebrafish embryo tissue using microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES). The protocol involves slowly heating the samples in acid until evaporated and then resuspending in nitric acid. The solution is analyzed with an MP-AES by spraying a fine mist of the solution into a torch to excite and analyze its emission spectroscopy. We show that there is a direct correlation between increasing concentration of molybdenum solution and increasing concentration of molybdenum in exposed zebrafish tissue, which we quantify with a standard curve method. These results allow us to assess how much molybdenum from the treatment solution enters the zebrafish tissue.