Publication detail

Advancing microplastic detection in zebrafish with micro computed tomography: A novel approach to revealing microplastic distribution in organisms

PAROBKOVÁ, V. MALEČEK, L. ZEMEK, M. KALČÍKOVÁ, G. VYKYPĚLOVÁ, M. BUCHTOVÁ, M. ADAMOVSKÝ, O. ZIKMUND, T. KAISER, J.

Original Title

Advancing microplastic detection in zebrafish with micro computed tomography: A novel approach to revealing microplastic distribution in organisms

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

The analysis of microplastics with current spectroscopic and pyrolytic methods is reaching its limits, especially with regard to detailed spatial distribution in biological tissues. This limitation hampers a comprehensive understanding of the effects of microplastics on organisms. Therefore, there is a pressing need to expand the analytical approaches to study microplastics in biota. In this context, the aim of this study was to test the applicability of non-destructive 3D imaging using X-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT) for the detection of microplastics in fish. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) were gavaged with polyethylene spherical microplastics (30-110 mu m) and the distribution of microplastics in the gut was investigated using microCT. The results showed that the particle size distribution determined by microCT closely matched the data from conventional laser diffraction analysis. In addition, microCT was able to detect microplastics in spiked fish tissue and provide precise localization data by tracing particles of known type and shape. MicroCT offers a novel approach for tracking microplastics in organisms and enables accurate sizing without compromising the integrity of the tissue under investigation. It therefore represents a valuable addition to spectroscopic methods, which are widely used for the detection of microplastics based on their chemical composition but do not provide data on their spatial distribution.

Keywords

Microplastics; X-ray Computed Tomography; Environment; Plastic Pollution; Imaging

Authors

PAROBKOVÁ, V.; MALEČEK, L.; ZEMEK, M.; KALČÍKOVÁ, G.; VYKYPĚLOVÁ, M.; BUCHTOVÁ, M.; ADAMOVSKÝ, O.; ZIKMUND, T.; KAISER, J.

Released

5. 5. 2025

Publisher

Elsevier

Location

AMSTERDAM

ISBN

1873-3336

Periodical

JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

Year of study

488

Number

5

State

Kingdom of the Netherlands

Pages from

1

Pages to

12

Pages count

12

URL

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389425003541

Full text in the Digital Library

http://hdl.handle.net/11012/250084

BibTex

@article{BUT197141,
  author="Viktória {Parobková} and Lukáš {Maleček} and Marek {Zemek} and Gabriela {Kalčíková} and Michaela {Vykypělová} and Marcela {Buchtová} and Ondřej {Adamovský} and Tomáš {Zikmund} and Jozef {Kaiser}",
  title="Advancing microplastic detection in zebrafish with micro computed tomography: A novel approach to revealing microplastic distribution in organisms",
  journal="JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS",
  year="2025",
  volume="488",
  number="5",
  pages="12",
  doi="10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137442",
  issn="1873-3336",
  url="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389425003541"
}