mt0c00195_si_001.pdf (1.17 MB)
CT/MR Dual-Modality Imaging Tracking of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Labeled with a Au/GdNC@SiO2 Nanotracer in Pulmonary Fibrosis
journal contribution
posted on 2020-03-19, 18:40 authored by Jie Huang, Jie Holly Huang, Hongying Bao, Xinyu Ning, Chenggong Yu, Zhongjin Chen, Jie Chao, Zhijun ZhangMesenchymal stem
cells (MSCs) have shown potential as an innovative
treatment for pulmonary fibrosis (PF), due to their capability to
ameliorate the inflammation and moderate the deterioration of PF.
The fate of the stem cells transplanted into the lung, including survival,
migration, homing, and functions, however, has not been fully understood
yet. In this paper, we report the development of a computed tomography/magnetic
resonance (CT/MR) dual-modal nanotracer, gold/gadolinium nanoclusters
overcoated with a silica shell (Au/GdNC@SiO2), for noninvasive
labeling and tracking of the transplanted human MSCs (hMSCs) in a
PF model. The Au/GdNC@SiO2 nanotracer exhibits good colloidal
and chemical stability, high biocompatibility, enhanced longitudinal
MR relaxivity, and superior X-ray attenuation property. The hMSCs
can be effectively labeled with Au/GdNC@SiO2, resulting
in a significantly increased cellular CT/MR imaging contrast, without
any obvious adverse effect on the function, including proliferation
and differentiation of the labeled stem cells. Moreover, by using
the Au/GdNC@SiO2 nanotracer, the hMSCs transplanted in
the lung can be tracked for 7 d via in vivo CT/MR dual-modality imaging.
This work may provide an insight into the role the transplanted hMSCs
play in PF therapy, thus promoting the stem cell-based regenerative
medicine.