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Rapid single-live-cell scanning via Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) microscopy to elucidate microplastic-cell interactions
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This research examined the use of microorganisms as bioplastic factories, reviewing metabolic pathways and fermentation strategies for producing polyhydroxyalkanoates and other bio-based polymers. The study evaluates the scalability and cost competitiveness of microbial bioplastic production compared to petrochemical plastic manufacturing.
Measuring live cells by FTIR spectroscopy is challenging due to their small size and the absorbance of water in the mid-IR region. However, measuring cells in their live state is important to observe changes in the biological processes of cells that are unaffected by fixation and drying processes. Recently, ZnS hemispheres were used to sandwich live cells in a 6 µm layer of cell medium, which simultaneously limit the absorbance of water and increase the spatial resolution by x2.25, thereby enabling high quality spectra to be acquired from living cells. So far, this method has been used as an imaging technique to showcase the distribution of biomolecules within a single cell. In this work, we present an alternative use of these ZnS hemispheres as a high throughput screening tool. We obtained high quality spectra of a single cell at a measurement rate of ∼ 1 min/cell. We’ve applied this technique to observe the biochemical effects of various polystyrene microplastics on two mammalian cell lines (J774A.1 and A549), however the method can easily be expanded to other cell lines, microplastics, and alternative xenobiotics. Experiment design in short: • Cultivate cells and expose them to microplastics for 24 hours • Seed a small volume of the suspension of the treated cell on the ZnS hemisphere • Obtain FTIR spectra of live-single-cells through the cell medium layer
More Papers Like This
Effects of microplastics on mammalian cells: A single-live-cell screening approach via FTIR microspectroscopy with ZnS solid immersion lenses
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Scientists tested how tiny plastic particles (microplastics) affect two types of human and animal cells using a new light-based scanning technique. They found that even plastic particles too small to visibly harm or kill cells still caused measurable changes inside them—meaning microplastics may be quietly altering cell behavior even when cells appear "fine" on the surface. This matters because it suggests we may be underestimating microplastic exposure risks by only checking whether cells survive, rather than looking for subtler internal changes.
PhotothermalInfrared Imaging of Nanoplastics in HumanCells with Nanoscale Resolution
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Researchers used photothermal infrared imaging with nanoscale resolution to detect and localize polystyrene nanoparticles inside individual human fibroblast and glioblastoma cells, overcoming the size limitation of conventional FTIR and enabling sub-100 nm nanoplastic localization in cells.
Photothermal Infrared Imaging of Nanoplastics in Human Cells with Nanoscale Resolution
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Researchers demonstrated a new photothermal infrared imaging technique capable of detecting and localizing nanoplastics inside individual human cells at nanoscale resolution. The study found that polystyrene nanoparticles accumulated around cell nuclei, and that this advanced imaging approach overcomes the spatial resolution limitations of conventional infrared spectroscopy for tracking nanoplastics in biological tissues.
Label-free non-destructive spectroscopic detection of mixed microplastic uptake and differential effects on intestinal epithelial cells
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Researchers used a specialized infrared spectroscopy technique to detect and identify real-world microplastics that had been internalized by human intestinal cells in the lab. They found that mixed microplastic exposures caused measurable changes in cellular biochemistry, even when individual plastic types showed limited effects. The study demonstrates a promising non-destructive method for tracking microplastics inside biological tissues and suggests that realistic mixtures of plastics may be more harmful than single types alone.
Library based identification and characterisation of polymers with nano-FTIR and IR-sSNOM imaging
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Near-field FTIR and infrared scattering scanning near-optical microscopy (nano-FTIR and IR-sSNOM) were used for high-resolution chemical identification and characterization of polymer materials, with the spatial resolution determined by the AFM tip radius rather than the optical diffraction limit. The technique enables identification of individual microplastic particles and polymer domains at nanometer scales.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.