Gadonanotubes as magnetic nanolabels for stem cell detection

Abstract

Stem-cell based therapies have emerged as a promising approach in regenerative medicine. In the development of such therapies, the demand for imaging technologies that permit the noninvasive monitoring of transplanted stem cells in vivo is growing. Here, we report the performance of gadolinium-containing carbon nanocapsules, or gadonanotubes (GNTs), as a new T 1 -weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) intracellular labeling agent for pig bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Without the use of a transfection agent, micromolar concentrations of GNTs can deliver up to 10 9 Gd 3+ ions per cell without compromising cell viability, differentiation potential, proliferation pattern, and phenotype. Imaging 10×10 6 GNT-labeled MSCs demonstrates a nearly two-fold reduction in T 1 relaxation time when compared to unlabeled MSCs at 1.5 T in a clinical MRI scanner, which easily permits the discrimination of GNT-labeled MSCs in a T 1 -weighted MR image. It is anticipated that GNTs will allow in vivo tracking of GNT-labeled MSCs, as well as other mammalian cell types, by T 1 -weighted imaging with greater efficacy than other current technologies now allow.

Silica-Coated Europium-Doped Gadolinium Oxide Nanorods for Dual-Modal Imaging of Cancer Cells

“…9 There are various methods to synthesize the gadolinium oxide nanoparticles such as polyol method, 10 co-precipitation method, 11 hydrothermal method, 12 sol-gel method, 13 template-assisted technique, 14 pulsed laser ablation, 15 pulsed electron beam evaporation 16 and mechano-chemical methods. 17 Di®erent morphologies of gadolinium oxide nanoparticles such as nanospheres, 18 nano¯bers, 19 nanotubes/ nanorods 20 and nanoplates 21 can be prepared by controlling the process parameters.…”

Dialytic Separation of Bundled, Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes from Carbonaceous Impurities

“…The in vivo bundling of unmodified SWCNTs has been observed as aggregates in discrete organs and cell types [25,26]. Following solubilization through functionalization (Scheme S1), if SWCNTs are lyophilized to a powder [13], they require extensive sonication to resolubilize.…”

Gadolinium3+-doped mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a potential magnetic resonance tracer for monitoring the migration of stem cells in vivo

“…1,2 Neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation is a leading strategy for replacing lost cells and provides neuroprotection in neurologic diseases; there are many reports on functional neurological recovery using NSC-based therapies. [3][4][5][6] Noninvasive imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), [7][8][9][10][11]12 are a convenient option for analyzing the behavior of stem cells, including the biodistribution and migration of cells, which is highly promising for visual stem cell therapies. [13][14][15] Various Gd-doped mesoporous silica biomaterials used as MRI probes have been investigated for their application in stem cell tracking.…”