Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy of human liver samples with Wilson’s disease

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an elemental analytical technique with various applications. The paper demonstrates the first LIBS measurements of human liver samples for the purpose of detecting the higher copper content related with the advanced stage of Wilson’s disease. These measurements were implemented using a Nd:YAG laser working at the wavelength of 532 nm and an echelle type spectrometer equipped with an intensified CCD camera allowing for a wide spectral range coverage (200–950 nm) and rapid camera gating (minimum gating time of 5 ns). Seven liver samples with suspected Wilson’s disease and five reference samples were investigated. The main parameter of interest was the Cu/C ratio obtained at first from spectra and secondly directly from an iCCD image. Our experiment is a pilot study, which shows LIBS analysis of human liver samples for the purpose of detecting the normal and higher copper content for the first time. The method proved to be a quick and a low-cost approach for the detection of pathological accumulation of copper in the affected tissue