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NIR-II Plastic Particles for Monitoring Intestinal Motility and Microplastic Deposition in Mice
Summary
Scientists developed a new imaging technique using fluorescent plastic particles to track microplastic movement through the digestive systems of living mice in real time. Healthy mice excreted 99% of the particles within 24 hours, but mice with constipation or colitis retained microplastics much longer. Long-term feeding experiments showed persistent microplastic accumulation in the intestines and spleen, providing direct visual evidence that gut health conditions may increase the body's retention of ingested plastic particles.
Plastic products are widely used in daily life, leading to the pervasive presence of microplastics, which have posed great threats to human health. However, the relative lack of methods to observe the movement and distribution of microplastics in living animals has retarded the understanding of their biological effects. Fluorescence imaging in the near-infrared II (NIR-II) window with good tissue penetration has greatly expanded its scope for living animals. In this study, we have developed a NIR-II fluorescence imaging platform using polystyrene particles to dynamically visualize microplastic behavior in the gastrointestinal tract of living mice. After oral administration of the fluorescent particles, NIR-II imaging at a frame rate of 30 fps revealed the intestinal motility with a peristaltic frequency of 0.51 ± 0.02 beats per second and food transit velocity of 1.3 ± 0.2 mm/s in healthy mice, which excreted 99% of the fluorescent particles within 24 h. In contrast, constipated and colitis mice displayed impaired intestinal peristalsis and significantly prolonged intestinal retention of microplastics. Moreover, the method disclosed that long-term feeding of microplastics resulted in persistent retention in the intestines and spleen, as confirmed by hyperspectral imaging. The utility of the proposed NIR-II imaging platform for dynamic tracking in mammals provides critical insight into the roles of microplastics in biological systems.
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