6533b85efe1ef96bd12c0929

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Nile Red lifetime reveals microplastic identity

Valeria VetriGiuseppe AvelloneGiuseppe Sancataldo

subject

MicroplasticsFluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopyMicroplastics010501 environmental sciencesManagement Monitoring Policy and Law01 natural sciences03 medical and health sciencesHuman healthchemistry.chemical_compoundOxazinesFluorescence microscopeAnimalsHumansEnvironmental ChemistryFluorescence staining030304 developmental biology0105 earth and related environmental sciences0303 health sciencesChemistryPublic Health Environmental and Occupational HealthNile redGeneral MedicineFluorescenceSettore FIS/07 - Fisica Applicata(Beni Culturali Ambientali Biol.e Medicin)microplastics nile red fluorescence lifetime Environmental Monitoring Humans Microplastics Oxazines Plastics Water Pollutants ChemicalAquatic environmentBiological systemPlasticsWater Pollutants ChemicalEnvironmental Monitoring

description

Microplastic pollution is recognized as a worldwide environmental problem. The increasing daily use and release of plastics into the environment have led to the accumulation of fragmented microplastics, with potentially awful consequences for the environment, and animal and human health. The detection and identification of microplastics are of utmost importance, but available methods are still limited. In this work, a new approach is presented for the analysis of microplastics based on hydrophobic fluorescence staining with Nile Red, using spectrally resolved confocal fluorescence microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). Significant differences were observed in the emission spectra and fluorescence lifetimes of the analyzed microplastics. Nile Red fluorescence shows determinable behavior based on the polymer matrix and provides a fingerprint for the identification of fragments from different types of plastics. Lifetime imaging coupled with phasor analysis constitutes a fast, robust, and straightforward method for mapping and identifying different microplastics within the same sample in an aquatic environment.

https://doi.org/10.1039/d0em00348d