Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Method for label-free & non-destructive detection of microplastics in human formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections

Researchers developed a new method to detect microplastic particles directly in preserved human colon tissue samples using advanced infrared microscopy, without destroying the tissue. They identified polyethylene, polystyrene, and PET particles within the tissue and observed signs of inflammation near the plastic particles, marking what may be the first workflow that combines microplastic detection with standard pathology analysis in human samples.

2025 Scientific Reports 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Optical photothermal infrared spectroscopic assessment of microplastics in tissue models and non-digested human tissue sections

Researchers developed a method using optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy to detect and map microplastics directly within tissue sections without requiring chemical or enzymatic digestion. The study suggests this approach preserves spatial information about where microplastics are located within tissue architecture, overcoming a key limitation of conventional digestion-based methods that can lose some particles.

2026 The Analyst
Article Tier 2

Label-free nano- and microplastics detection in mammalian tissue by photothermal infrared spectroscopy

Researchers applied optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy to detect and identify nano- and microplastics smaller than 1 µm in mammalian tissue sections without requiring labels or lengthy digestion protocols. The method successfully localized polystyrene particles in tissue samples with chemical specificity, offering a faster workflow for nanoplastic detection in biological matrices.

2025
Article Tier 2

Detection of Unlabeled Micro- and Nanoplastics in Unstained Tissue with Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy

Researchers demonstrated that optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy can detect unlabeled micro- and nanoplastics as small as 250 nanometers in mammalian tissue samples without staining or labeling. The technique significantly outperformed traditional FTIR spectroscopy in spatial resolution and signal quality when imaging particles in complex biological matrices. The study also introduced a semi-automated machine learning analysis to speed up detection, offering a powerful new tool for studying nanoplastic accumulation in tissues.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Label-Free Identification and Imaging of Microplastic and Nanoplastic Biouptake Using Optical Photothermal Infrared Microspectroscopy

Researchers developed a new imaging technique that can locate and identify microplastic and nanoplastic particles inside whole organisms without needing fluorescent labels. Using a method called optical photothermal infrared microscopy, they tracked polystyrene particles as small as 1 micrometer in roundworms. This tool could help scientists better understand how plastic particles are taken up by living things and where they accumulate in the body.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of Unlabeled Polystyrene Micro- and Nanoplastics in Mammalian Tissue by Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy

Researchers demonstrated that a new imaging technique called O-PTIR spectroscopy can detect unlabeled plastic particles as small as 200 nanometers inside mammalian tissues without damaging the samples. Combined with machine learning for faster analysis, this method significantly outperforms traditional infrared spectroscopy for finding nanoplastics in biological tissue. Better detection tools like this are essential for understanding how much plastic actually accumulates in human organs.

2025 Analytical Chemistry 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Label-free non-destructive spectroscopic detection of mixed microplastic uptake and differential effects on intestinal epithelial cells

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.

2026 Journal of Hazardous Materials 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Raman microspectroscopy and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for the analysis of polyethylene microplastics in human soft tissues

Researchers developed a combined technique using Raman microspectroscopy and laser-based analysis to detect polyethylene microplastics in human soft tissue samples. The method can identify both the plastic polymer and any associated inorganic elements in tissue. This kind of detection tool is important for understanding whether microplastics accumulate in specific human organs and what health effects they might have.

2024 Heliyon 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Localisation and identification of polystyrene particles in tissue sections using Raman spectroscopic imaging

Researchers developed a Raman spectroscopic imaging method to localize and identify polystyrene microplastic particles directly within tissue sections, enabling in-situ detection without fluorescent labeling and making environmental sample analysis feasible.

2023 NanoImpact 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Morphological and chemical characterization of nanoplastics in human tissue

Researchers developed methods to visualize and chemically characterize nanoplastics that have accumulated in human tissue samples. They were able to identify plastic particles smaller than one micrometer within tissue using advanced microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. The study provides some of the first direct evidence of nanoscale plastic accumulation in the human body, which is essential for designing future health effects research.

2025 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection of microplastics in human colectomy specimens

Researchers examined tissue samples from patients who had colon surgery and detected microplastics in the specimens. The findings suggest that microplastics are commonly present in the human colon, adding to a growing body of evidence that these particles accumulate in the human digestive system.

2020 JGH Open 550 citations
Article Tier 2

New universal approach for microplastics detection in tissues retains histology and reveals unprecedented quantities in placental samples

Researchers developed a new universal method for detecting micro- and nanoplastics in tissue samples that preserves tissue histology, allowing simultaneous plastic detection and morphological analysis of the same sample to better characterize MP tissue distribution and pathological effects.

2025
Article Tier 2

A new screening framework to support the identification of exogenous particles and suspect microplastics in situ in pathological tissue samples

Researchers developed a screening framework to detect exogenous particles including microplastics within human ileal tissue sections, using human tissue samples as proof of concept to investigate whether and how particles can translocate into the subepithelial mucosa.

2025 EBioMedicine
Article Tier 2

Set up and validation of a method to analyse microplastics in stool and small intestine samples

Researchers developed and validated practical methods for extracting and identifying microplastics from human stool samples and pig intestinal tissue. Using gentle chemical and enzyme-based digestion followed by infrared spectroscopy, they successfully detected multiple polymer types including polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, providing tools for studying microplastic exposure in the human digestive system.

2024 MethodsX 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of a method for the detection of polystyrene microplastics in paraffin-embedded histological sections

Researchers developed a method for detecting polystyrene microplastics in paraffin-embedded tissue samples, addressing a key constraint in assessing microplastic exposure in marine animals used in laboratory toxicity bioassays.

2017 Histochemistry and Cell Biology 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Advancements in optical techniques for direct identification and localization of micro- and nanoplastics in biological samples

Researchers reviewed advanced optical methods for directly detecting and localizing microplastics in biological tissues, highlighting techniques that can identify particles without extraction or digestion. Optical approaches including Raman mapping and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering allow spatial mapping of microplastics in tissue sections.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Photothermal Infrared Imaging of Nanoplastics in Human Cells with Nanoscale Resolution

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.

2025 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Raman Spectroscopic Imaging of Human Bladder Resectates towards Intraoperative Cancer Assessment

Researchers used Raman spectroscopy imaging to distinguish between healthy and cancerous human bladder tissue without the need for chemical stains or labels. The technique successfully identified cancer regions in tissue samples from ten patients, using advanced data analysis to map molecular differences. While not directly related to microplastics, this spectroscopy method is also used in microplastic research and demonstrates the power of label-free chemical imaging in medical applications.

2023 Cancers 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Dark-field hyperspectral microscopy for label-free microplastics and nanoplastics detection and identification in vivo: A Caenorhabditis elegans study

Researchers demonstrated that dark-field hyperspectral microscopy can visualize and chemically identify nano- and microplastics (down to 100 nm) in live C. elegans nematodes without labeling, differentiating multiple polymer types simultaneously within intestinal tissue.

2020 Environmental Pollution 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Detection ofUnlabeled Polystyrene Micro- and Nanoplasticsin Mammalian Tissue by Optical Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy

Researchers evaluated optical photothermal infrared (O-PTIR) spectroscopy for detecting unlabeled polystyrene micro- and nanoplastics down to 200 nm in mammalian kidney tissues and 3D cell cultures. O-PTIR outperformed conventional FTIR in spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio, and machine learning accelerated particle detection with minimal human error.

2025 Figshare
Article Tier 2

Pre-detection of microplastics using active thermography

Researchers proposed and tested a new method using active mid-infrared thermography imaging to pre-screen samples for microplastics before more detailed chemical analysis. The approach could significantly speed up microplastic detection workflows by quickly identifying candidate particles in mixed environmental samples.

2020 Chemosphere 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Infrared spectroscopic laser scanning confocal microscopy for whole-slide chemical imaging

Scientists developed a new infrared microscope that can create chemical images of entire tissue slides in about 3 minutes, far faster than existing methods. While not directly about microplastics, this type of imaging technology could significantly speed up the detection and identification of microplastic particles in human tissue samples. Faster, more detailed chemical imaging tools are needed to better understand where microplastics accumulate in the body and what damage they cause.

2023 Nature Communications 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Label-free identification of microplastics in human cells: dark-field microscopy and deep learning study

Researchers developed a label-free method to identify microplastics inside living human cells using enhanced dark-field microscopy combined with deep learning, achieving high classification accuracy for polystyrene microparticles differing only in pigmentation.

2021 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Photothermal Heterodyne Imaging of Micron Sized Objects

Researchers tested a sensitive imaging technique called photothermal heterodyne imaging to detect and visualize micron-sized polymer beads similar in size to microplastic particles. The method shows promise as a non-destructive way to detect and characterize small plastic particles in various environments.

2023