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Upconverting vs. fluorescent labels for visualizing distribution and uptake of nanoplastics: a Daphnia magna case study
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Scientists studying how tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) get absorbed by living creatures have struggled to actually "see" these particles inside body tissue, because normal glow-in-the-dark tracking dyes get lost in the body's natural glow. This study created a new type of glowing tag that only lights up under special infrared light, allowing researchers to clearly track nanoplastics moving through a small water organism's gut for the first time. This matters because better tools to see where nanoplastics travel in living bodies could eventually help scientists understand how these particles might affect human health too, since we're exposed to the same types of plastics through food
Micro- and nanoplastics (MNPLs) are pervasive environmental contaminants, raising concerns for ecosystems and human health. Nanoplastics (NPLs), in particular, present unique analytical challenges due to their minute size, which makes their detection and study in complex biological systems difficult. Consequently, toxicological studies frequently use commercially available fluorescent polystyrene (PS) particles as model NPLs. These models, however, mainly have two drawbacks: limited environmental relevance and inadequate visualization in biological tissues, largely due to overlapping tissue autofluorescence. In this study, we address these issues by preparing surfactant-free model NPLs (UC-PS) labeled with Yb3+,Er3+-doped upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) that convert near-infrared excitation to visible emission. UC-PS were compared with a commercial NPL labeled with a fluorescent dye (fluo-PS). Both types consisted of spherical particles of ~100 nm in diameter, but exhibited distinct luminescent properties, as shown by spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. UC-PS and fluo-PS at concentrations of 0-100 µg/mL did not affect Daphnia magna’s growth rate after 72-h exposure. Importantly, unlike fluo-PS, UC-PS was clearly visualized within Daphnia magna’s intestine despite strong tissue autofluorescence. This work demonstrates the advantages of UCNP-labeled NPL models over conventional fluorescent NPLs and recommends their use for accurate visualization of MNPLs uptake in aquatic organisms.
More Papers Like This
Upconverting vs. fluorescent labels for visualizing distribution and uptake of nanoplastics: a Daphnia magna case study
AI summary Read the abstract
Scientists studying nanoplastics (tiny plastic particles too small to see) usually track them in living organisms by tagging them with glowing dyes, but these dyes get lost in the body's own natural glow, making it hard to know exactly where the plastic ends up. In this study, researchers created a new type of glowing tag that uses special light-converting particles, and tested it in water fleas (a common lab organism), finding it showed up much more clearly in the gut than traditional dyes, without harming the animals. This matters because better tools to track where nanoplastics travel in living bodies could eventually help scientists understand how these particles move through the
Bifunctional nanoprobes for improved biological tracking of nanoplastics
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Scientists have created a new tool that both lights up and precisely measures tiny plastic particles inside living things, tested on cells and even zebrafish offspring. This matters because it helps researchers track exactly how much nanoplastic gets into bodies and where it travels, a key step toward understanding how these particles might affect our health.
Synthesis of near-infrared-fluorophore-loaded microplastics with different compositions for in vivo tracking
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Researchers synthesised fluorescent microplastic particles of different polymer types that can be tracked inside living animals using near-infrared imaging, creating a tool for studying how microplastics move through and accumulate within biological tissues. These model particles help researchers understand real-world microplastic behaviour inside organisms, which is critical for assessing health risks.
Gold-labelled nanoplastics models: Synthesis, detection, and quantification by SP-ICP-MS in Daphnia magna
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Scientists have developed a clever new tool to track tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) inside living organisms by attaching a microscopic gold marker to them, making even trace amounts detectable and measurable. Using this method on water fleas, they showed the tiny creatures absorbed more plastic the more they were exposed to, confirming these particles build up in the body over time. While this study was done in a small aquatic organism rather than humans, it's an important step toward better understanding how nanoplastics—found throughout our environment and food—accumulate in living things, which is crucial groundwork for future research into their health effects on people.
Top-Down Synthesis of Luminescent Microplastics and Nanoplastics by Incorporation of Upconverting Nanoparticles for Environmental Assessment
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Researchers incorporated lanthanide-based upconverting nanoparticles into bulk polyethylene to create luminescent microplastic and nanoplastic model particles that can be tracked under infrared light in biological and environmental samples. This provides an environmentally relevant tool for studying the movement and uptake of plastic particles through organisms.
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