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Numerical Study towards In Vivo Tracking of Micro-/Nanoplastic Based on X-ray Fluorescence Imaging
Summary
Researchers conducted numerical simulations to evaluate X-ray fluorescence imaging as a method for tracking micro- and nanoplastic particles inside living organisms. The study found that by labeling plastic particles with detectable metal elements, it would be possible to map their distribution across organs with high spatial resolution. The approach could provide precise measurements of how plastic particles cross biological barriers and accumulate in tissues over time.
There is a rising awareness of the toxicity of micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs); however, fundamental precise information on MNP-biodistribution in organisms is currently not available. X-ray fluorescence imaging (XFI) is introduced as a promising imaging modality to elucidate the effective MNP bioavailability and is expected to enable exact measurements on the uptake over the physical barriers of the organism and bioaccumulation in different organs. This is possible because of the ability of XFI to perform quantitative studies with a high spatial resolution and the possibility to conduct longitudinal studies. The focus of this work is a numerical study on the detection limits for a selected XFI-marker, here, palladium, to facilitate the design of future preclinical in vivo studies. Based on Monte Carlo simulations using a 3D voxel mouse model, the palladium detection thresholds in different organs under in vivo conditions in a mouse are estimated. The minimal Pd-mass in the scanning position at a reasonable significance level is determined to be <20 ng/mm2 for abdominal organs and <16 μg/mm2 for the brain. MNPs labelled with Pd and homogeneously distributed in the organ would be detectable down to a concentration of <1 μg/mL to <2.5 mg/mL in vivo. Long-term studies with a chronic MNP exposure in low concentrations are therefore possible such that XFI measurements could, in the future, contribute to MNP health risk assessment in small animals and humans.