scholarly journals Quantification of microplastics by count, size and morphology in beverage containers using Nile Red and ImageJ

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shujuan Chen ◽  
Yue Li ◽  
Christopher Mawhorter ◽  
Saamon Legoski
Keyword(s):  
Human Exposure ◽  
Nile Red ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Toxicological Effects ◽  
Toxicity Effect ◽  
Beverage Containers ◽  
Abundant Evidence ◽  
Nile Red Fluorescence ◽  
Size And Morphology ◽  
Paper Cups

Abstract Abundant evidence of microplastics (MP) found in the environment, and its toxicity effect in animals calls for human-related research. However, well-established quantitative controlled studies on the potential route of human exposure to MP are still sparse. MP count, size and morphology in 15 polylactic acid (PLA)-lined plastic cups and 15 PLA-lined paper cups were examined using Nile Red fluorescence tagging, microscopic photography, and morphology assessment and quantification based on ImageJ. In the plastic cups, the count and area of MP fibers were found to be significantly higher compared with blanks (p < 0.05), but not MP particles or total MP. In paper cups, count or area was not significantly different in terms of MP particle, MP fibers or total MP. No interesting trend was observed in the distribution regarding the size of MP particles or fibers. These results indicate that selected paper cups and plastic cups could be considered as safe beverage containers, but further research on the toxicological effects of MPs in different morphologies released from plastic cups on human health is needed.

Nile red fluorescence demonstrates lipid in the envelope of vesicles from N2-fixing cultures of Frankia

1988 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 656-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayes C. Lamont ◽  
Warwick B. Silvester ◽  
John G. Torrey
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogenase Activity ◽  
Nile Red ◽  
Green Light ◽  
Dark Field ◽  
Free Medium ◽  
Frankia Strain ◽  
Dark Field Microscopy ◽  
Lipid Solvent ◽  
Nile Red Fluorescence ◽  
Fluorescent Stain

Using Nile red as a fluorescent stain for lipid, we investigated the composition of the envelope of vesicles of Frankia strain HFPCcI3 from cultures induced in N-free medium at 1 and 20 kPa O2. Vesicles and nitrogenase activity appeared in the cultures at both pO2; on average, vesicles viewed by dark-field microscopy were larger and had thicker envelopes at 20 kPa O2 than at 1 kPa O2. Envelopes of Nile red-stained vesicles fluoresced red under incident green light. When samples of CcI3 were extracted through a lipid-solvent series and then stained, vesicles still fluoresced red but lacked a distinct peripheral fluorescent ring. These results are consistent with the view that the envelope of Frankia vesicles consists largely of lipid and serves as a barrier to diffusion of O2.

Estimation of neutral lipid levels in Antarctic sea ice microalgae by nile red fluorescence

1990 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Priscu ◽  
Linda R. Priscu ◽  
Anna C. Palmisano ◽  
Cornelius W. Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Neutral Lipid ◽  
Nile Red ◽  
Lipid Levels ◽  
Antarctic Sea Ice ◽  
Neutral Lipid Content ◽  
Scatter Plots ◽  
Phaeocystis Pouchetii ◽  
Nile Red Fluorescence ◽  
Platelet Ice

The fluorescent neutral lipid stain, nile red, was used to examine cell-specific neutral lipid levels in natural assemblages of Antarctic sea ice microalgae. Neutral lipid:chlorophyll, neutral lipid:particulate carbon (PC) and neutral lipid:particulate nitrogen (PN) ratios were highest in communities dominated by Nitzschia spp. and Navicula glaciei van Heurck. The lowest specific neutral lipid content was estimated in the congelation ice samples dominated by the diatom Amphiprora spp., and in surface assemblages dominated by Phaeocystis pouchetii Hariot and the dinoflagellate Gymnodinium sp. Scatter plots of neutral lipid on PC and PN, which included data from all assemblages, showed that assemblages dominated by P. pouchetii and Amphiprora spp. clustered near the origin reflecting their relatively lower specific neutral lipid levels, compared with assemblages dominated by N. glaciei and Nitzschia spp. Cellular PC:PN was significantly (P<0.001) lower in microalgae inhabiting surface melt pools or tide cracks compared to those associated with congelation or platelet ice.

Characteristic features of nile red fluorescence in transparent xerogels

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Pilipenko ◽  
A. V. Koshkin ◽  
V. A. Sazhnikov ◽  
M. V. Alfimov
Keyword(s):  
Nile Red ◽  
Red Fluorescence ◽  
Nile Red Fluorescence ◽  
Characteristic Features

scholarly journals Nile Red Staining for Oil Determination in Microalgal Cells: A New Insight through Statistical Modelling

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Halim ◽  
Paul A. Webley
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescence Intensity ◽  
Nile Red ◽  
Biofuel Production ◽  
Staining Procedure ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Red Fluorescence ◽  
Nile Red Fluorescence ◽  
Red Dye ◽  
Nile Red Staining

In the wake of global warming and rapid fossil fuel depletion, microalgae emerge as promising feedstocks for sustainable biofuel production. Nile red staining acts as a rapid diagnostic tool to measure the amount of biodiesel-convertible lipid that the cells accumulate. There is a need for the development of a more uniform staining procedure. In its first phase, this study examined the dependence of microalgal Nile red fluorescence (Tetraselmis suecica) in terms of its most pertinent staining variables. A quadratic surface model that successfully described the Nile red fluorescence intensity as a composite function of its variables was generated (r2=0.86). Cell concentration was shown to have a significant effect on the fluorescence intensity. Up to a certain threshold, fluorescence intensity was shown to increase with Nile red dye concentration. In its second phase, the study reviewed findings from previous Nile red studies to elucidate some of the fundamental mechanism underlying the diffusion of Nile red dye molecules into the microalgal cells and their subsequent interaction with intracellular lipids. Through the review process, we were able to develop a simple framework that provided a set of guidelines for the standardization of the Nile red staining procedure across different microalgal species.

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