A novel extraction protocol of nano-polystyrene from biological samples

Toxicological data demonstrate that nanoplastics (NPs) can cause direct adverse health effects. However, a method for quantifying NPs in biological samples is lacking to date. In this study, a diatomite associated coagulation-sedimentation extraction (CSE) protocol was developed to selectively enrich polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NP) from microplastics (PS-MP) in the digest of animal tissues, which were then analyzed using pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We demonstrate that 0.02 g of 7-mu m diatomite can selectively adsorb 70-nm PS-NP in 5 mL oyster digest. The method works in the range of 0.006-5 mu g PS-NP per 0.5 g wet weight tissue, which has been verified via samples of environmentally contaminated oysters and chow diet PS-NP-treated C57BL/6 mice (digestive tract, kidney, and liver tissues). The particle size-dependent colloidization or buoyancy theoretically supported the general CSE procedure. This work will pave the way for assessing human exposure to NPs and associated health risks. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study developed a method to quantify the presence of NPs in animal tissues, selectively enriching PS-NP through a CSE protocol for analysis. The method was verified in experiments and provides a reference for assessing human exposure to NPs and associated health risks.