A pioneering study from the Neumann Lab at the University of California, Davis establishes a powerful new analytical framework for understanding how micro- and nano-plastics move through biological systems and how they affect cellular health—insights with major implications for environmental toxicology, public health, and regulatory science. Using advanced matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) combined with trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS), the researchers achieved the first high‑resolution, spatially resolved mapping of polystyrene microplastics across an entire murine body—without the need for chemical labels or polymer modification. This breakthrough reveals how ingested microplastics accumulate in key organs and disrupt lipid metabolism in tissue‑specific ways.
“For the first time, we can find plastics in the body, understand how they are metabolized, locate where these chemicals accumulate, and determine how they impact normal metabolic function. We look forward to extending this work to other types of plastics in the hopes that there are safer alternatives,” said Elizabeth K. Neumann, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry, UC Davis.
Key takeaways from the study include:
- Microplastics were found to accumulate in the heart, liver, and stomach, evidenced by an increased signal attributed to polystyrene.
- Heart tissue reflected reductions in lipids critical to regulating inflammatory signaling as well as cellular stress responses.
- Stomach tissue reflected a lipid disruption suggesting a stress-response and potentially impacting cellular membranes impacting membrane fluidity, curvature, and vesicular trafficking.
- Liver tissue suggested significant lipid remodeling in response to micro- and nano-plastic exposure leading to increase oxidative stress and inflammation.
By pairing MALDI with TIMS, the team resolved previously undetectable microplastic fragments, distinguished polymer chain lengths, and visualized their spatial and metabolic footprints at the whole‑body level. Dynamic, tissue-specific lipid remodeling across the stomach, liver, and heart, revealing both local and systemic metabolic consequences where observed, providing unprecedented clarity into how synthetic materials behave inside living organisms.
About the Neumann Lab – UC Davis
The Neumann lab joined the Chemistry Department at UC Davis in the summer of 2022 and focuses on understanding the molecular and cellular architecture behind neurological diseases. The research is highly interdisciplinary and involves developing analytical tools and multimodal imaging methods for understanding complex biological phenomena. In sum, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI MSI) is used to measure hundreds to thousands of molecular features within a biological sample without disturbing their spatial content. This chemically informative information is coupled to other powerful technologies, such as highly multiplexed immunofluorescence, spectroscopy, or transcriptomics, to get a more complete picture of complex biological systems.
About BlueOmics
BlueOmics holds a license to the analytical technology developed by the Neumann Lab and is committed to advancing the understanding of how single-use plastics affect human health and the environment. To explore how we can support your research goals, contact Info@blueomics.net.
Impact
This newly developed MALDI‑TIMS MSI pipeline sets a benchmark for studying environmental contaminants, engineered nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, and other hard‑to‑detect compounds in biological systems. By revealing how microplastics alter organ‑specific metabolism, the study provides crucial groundwork for future toxicology, regulatory policy, and public health efforts.
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