TY - JOUR
T1 - Biocompatible fluorescent nanoparticles for in vivo stem cell tracking
AU - Cova, Lidia
AU - Bigini, Paolo
AU - Diana, Valentina
AU - Sitia, Leopoldo
AU - Ferrari, Raffaele
AU - Pesce, Ruggiero Maria
AU - Khalaf, Rushd
AU - Bossolasco, Patrizia
AU - Ubezio, Paolo
AU - Lupi, Monica
AU - Tortarolo, Massimo
AU - Colombo, Laura
AU - Giardino, Daniela
AU - Silani, Vincenzo
AU - Morbidelli, Massimo
AU - Salmona, Mario
AU - Moscatelli, Davide
PY - 2013/6/21
Y1 - 2013/6/21
N2 - Efficient application of stem cells to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases requires safe cell tracking to follow stem cell fate over time in the host environment after transplantation. In this work, for the first time, fluorescent and biocompatible methyl methacrylate (MMA)-based nanoparticles (fluoNPs) were synthesized through a free-radical co-polymerization process with a fluorescent macromonomer obtained by linking Rhodamine B and hydroxyethyl methacrylate. We demonstrate that the fluoNPs produced by polymerization of MMA-Rhodamine complexes (1) were efficient for the labeling and tracking of multipotent human amniotic fluid cells (hAFCs); (2) did not alter the main biological features of hAFCs (such as viability, cell growth and metabolic activity); (3) enabled us to determine the longitudinal bio-distribution of hAFCs in different brain areas after graft in the brain ventricles of healthy mice by a direct fluorescence-based technique. The reliability of our approach was furthermore confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging analyses, carried out by incubating hAFCs with both superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and fluoNPs. Our data suggest that these finely tunable and biocompatible fluoNPs can be exploited for the longitudinal tracking of stem cells.
AB - Efficient application of stem cells to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases requires safe cell tracking to follow stem cell fate over time in the host environment after transplantation. In this work, for the first time, fluorescent and biocompatible methyl methacrylate (MMA)-based nanoparticles (fluoNPs) were synthesized through a free-radical co-polymerization process with a fluorescent macromonomer obtained by linking Rhodamine B and hydroxyethyl methacrylate. We demonstrate that the fluoNPs produced by polymerization of MMA-Rhodamine complexes (1) were efficient for the labeling and tracking of multipotent human amniotic fluid cells (hAFCs); (2) did not alter the main biological features of hAFCs (such as viability, cell growth and metabolic activity); (3) enabled us to determine the longitudinal bio-distribution of hAFCs in different brain areas after graft in the brain ventricles of healthy mice by a direct fluorescence-based technique. The reliability of our approach was furthermore confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging analyses, carried out by incubating hAFCs with both superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and fluoNPs. Our data suggest that these finely tunable and biocompatible fluoNPs can be exploited for the longitudinal tracking of stem cells.
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U2 - 10.1088/0957-4484/24/24/245603
DO - 10.1088/0957-4484/24/24/245603
M3 - Article
C2 - 23690139
AN - SCOPUS:84878314525
VL - 24
JO - Nanotechnology
JF - Nanotechnology
SN - 0957-4484
IS - 24
M1 - 245603
ER -