Migration of MPs across biological barriers in zebrafish

Knowledge about the effects of environmentally relevant microplastics (MPs) on living organisms is still limited; specifically, the research investigating the migration of MPs in tissues is hampered by the lack of methods for detection and visualization of MPs in biotic non-processed samples. We would like to introduce project PlastSensing, a cooperative project that aims to combine novel visualization techniques and molecular tools to understand the fate and effects of MPs in living organisms. In collaboration with our project partners, we will employ, for the first time, X-ray computed tomography (i.e. CT scan), and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to not only visualize MPs in non-processed zebrafish bodies, but also to describe and understand the potency of different MPs to cross biological barriers. Specifically, we will focus on the potency of MPs to cross intestine-blood barrier in zebrafish. Possible migration through biological barriers will provide us with a unique perspective on MPs' in-vivo behavior and can identify the target organs and their sub-parts. This non-invasive methodology thus allows us to describe the risk of ubiquitous MP contamination in more detail, which represents a current significant challenge in microplastic research. Complementing the novel technical approach, molecular biology techniques will be utilized to conduct a transcriptomic analysis and evaluate the effects of MPs on intestinal and blood immune markers in zebrafish. The project was supported by The Czech Science Foundation (GACR), project 23-13617L, that is fused on novel detection and visualization techniques of MPs. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559528/document