Objective:

To develop a method for tracking the movement of microplastics in biological systems using fluorescent imaging in the NIR-II window.

Key Findings:

• Fluorescent microplastic models can be synthesized from various plastics and loaded with dyes for tracking.
• Particles remained in the gastrointestinal tract, with no fluorescence detected in other tissues, indicating limited absorption.
• Smaller particles had longer retention times in the gut.

Interpretation:

The study provides a novel method to investigate the transport and fate of microplastics in biological systems, which is crucial for understanding their potential health impacts.

Limitations:

• The study was conducted in mice, and results may not directly translate to humans.
• The long-term effects of microplastic accumulation were not assessed.

Conclusion:

The development of NIR-II-fluorophore-loaded microplastic models can enhance understanding of microplastic behavior in biological systems and inform future health risk assessments.