Efficacy and Durability in Direct Labeling of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Using Ultrasmall Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Organosilica, Dextran, and PEG Coatings

• Main Authors: Ken Cham-Fai Leung, Kwok-Pui Fung, Ping-Chung Leung, Clara B. S. Lau, Siu-Fung Lee, Shouhu Xuan, Lin Shi, De-Feng Wang, Chun-Pong Chak, Hao-Hao Wang, Ak-Wai Li, Thibault Quercy-Jouvet, Yi-Xiang J. Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2011-04-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: magnetic nanoparticle; surface modification; cell labeling
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/4/4/703/

We herein report a comparative study of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) labeling using spherical superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles containing different coatings, namely, organosilica, dextran, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). These nanomaterials possess a similar SPIO core size of 6–7 nm. Together with their coatings, the overall sizes are 10–15 nm for all SPIO@SiO2, SPIO@dextran, and SPIO@PEG nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were investigated for their efficacies to be uptaken by rabbit bone marrow-derived MSCs without any transfecting agent. Experimentally, both SPIO@SiO2 and SPIO@PEG nanoparticles could be successfully uptaken by MSCs while the SPIO@dextran nanoparticles demonstrated limited labeling efficiency. The labeling durability of SPIO@SiO2 and SPIO@PEG nanoparticles in MSCs after three weeks of culture were compared by Prussian blue staining tests. SPIO@SiO2 nanoparticles demonstrated more blue staining than SPIO@PEG nanoparticles, rendering them better materials for MSCs labeling by direct uptake when durable intracellullar retention of SPIO is desired.