Advances of Nanotechnology in the Stem Cells Research and Development

Abstract

In decades, stem cell nanotechnology has become a new promising field for stem cell research and development. So, stem cell nanotechnology has attracted lots of researchers' attention and made great progress. The unique properties of nanomaterials and nanostructures which applied in the fundamental research of stem cell-based therapies have been recognized. Nanomaterials and nanotechnology have been highlighted as promising candidates for efficient control over proliferation and differentiation of stem cells, revolutionizing the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, neuroprotection in traumatic brain injury, improving the osteospecific differentiation and function, tissue engineering scaffold, dental implant application, drug delivery, gene therapy and cell imaging or tracking. Here we summarize the main progress in this field, explore the application prospects in injuries, diseases, regenerative medicine, etc. and discuss the methods and challenges with the aim of improving application of nanotechnology in the stem cell research and development.

Viability and pluripotency studying of human embryo stem cells labeled with quantum dots

“…Electroporation also delivered QDs in aggregates, and may even cause cell death. Peptide-based QDs deliver QDs into the live cells, and have been shown to be an excellent and easy tool for studying live cell mobility [23] and cell fusion [24].…”

Fluorescent magnetic nanopaticles-labeled murine embryonic stem cells for targeted identification of <italic>in vivo</italic> gastric cancer cells

“…胚胎干细胞是一种来自于囊胚 的内细胞团的全能干细胞, 能够在体外无限增殖而 不丧失其分化的潜能 [18] , 并且胚胎干细胞(ESCs)相 对于其他细胞, 易于进行基因改造, 更适合作为基因 载体 [19] . 现在 ESCs 已经可以通过诱导多能干细胞 (iPSCs)取代, 具有来源方便的优点, 也可以实现自 ESCs 作为"载体"细胞将为肿瘤研究带来治疗希望 [21] , [22] 和 CdTe 量子点 [23] , 采用反微乳法合成荧光磁性纳米粒 子 (FMNPs) [24,25] , 具 体 方 法 为 : 在 圆 底 烧 瓶 中 加 入 11.9 mL 环己烷, 2.5 mL Triton X-100, 5 mL 正己醇, 机械搅拌 30 min, 然后加入 7 mL CdTe 量子点和 500 μL 细胞可以在体内附着到脑瘤细胞上, 使老鼠脑瘤的 体积平均缩小了 50% [27] . 但是关于胚胎干细胞为什 么会游移到脑瘤细胞附近, 有学者推测可能是胚胎 干细胞跟踪了老鼠免疫分子所产生的化学信号, 然 后究竟是什么原因至今还没有文献报道.…”

Efficient preparation and labeling of human induced pluripotent stem cells by nanotechnology

“…5 The importance of nanomaterials, nanostructures, and nanotechnology to the fundamental developments in stem cell-based therapies for injuries and degenerative diseases has been recognized. [6][7][8][9][10] It is well known that nanomaterials have some unique effects. Ultimately, these effects can lead to new technological opportunities as well as new challenges.…”