Uranium (U) is a common radioactive element with a large occurrence in environment (seawater, soil, rocks…) and a wide range of industrial uses, with main applications in energy production and military use. Operations at nuclear fuel cycle facilities present a potential risk of exposure for workers to various uranium compounds that are known or suspected to cause health effects. Uranium toxicity depends on its solubility, its physicochemical form and the particle size, as well as the route and duration of exposure [1]. After intake and absorption, U is transported by blood prior to deposition in target organs, mainly skeleton and kidneys, in which it is stored, then slowly and partially excreted in the urine and faeces [2,3]. Nephrotoxicity is the main adverse effect observed after uranium intoxication.

Quantification and localization of radionuclides, such as uranium, in organs and cells is a key to evaluate the distribution heterogeneity for a better understanding of their toxicity. Traditional methods quantify the chemical elements of a biological tissue (“bulk” concentration), regardless the heterogeneity of the different cells which constitute the tissue. Single-cell analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SC-ICP-MS) is an analytical technic that allows to obtain qualitative and quantitative information on the element content of bioparticles (cells, bacteria, unicellular algae, yeasts…) on a cell-by-cell basis. SC-ICP-MS can provide information about the mass of the element per cell, the mass distribution within a cell population and the concentration of cells containing specific elements [4].

The development and application of an analytical method based on SC-ICP-MS, performed at the platform PATERSON, allow us to analyse renal epithelial cells exposed to uranyl nitrate with two objectives: (i) the evaluation of the radionuclides partitioning into a cell population; (ii) the evaluation of the consequences on the cellular endogenous elements in a context of radionuclide exposure due to occupational or environmental exposure.

References

[1] Y. Guéguen. Radiation research, 2017, 187 (1), 107-127

[2] E. Ansoborlo. Biochimie, 2006, 88, 1605-1618

[3] World Health Organization, 2001, Report No. WHO/SDE/PHE/01.1

[3] A.C. Gimenez-Ingalaturre. Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry, 2024, 39, 743-753