Nanoparticles for Stem Cell Tracking and the Potential Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Stem cell-based therapies have been shown potential in regenerative medicine. In these cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability of self-renewal and being differentiated into different types of cells, such as cardiovascular cells. Moreover, MSCs have low immunogenicity and immunomodulatory properties, and can protect the myocardium, which are ideal qualities for cardiovascular repair. Transplanting mesenchymal stem cells has demonstrated improved outcomes for treating cardiovascular diseases in preclinical trials. However, there still are some challenges, such as their low rate of migration to the ischemic myocardium, low tissue retention, and low survival rate after the transplantation. To solve these problems, an ideal method should be developed to precisely and quantitatively monitor the viability of the transplanted cells in vivo for providing the guidance of clinical translation. Cell imaging is an ideal method, but requires a suitable contrast agent to label and track the cells. This article reviews the uses of nanoparticles as contrast agents for tracking MSCs and the challenges of clinical use of MSCs in the potential treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Tracking of Stem Cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth Labeled with Molday ION Rhodamine-B during Periodontal Bone Regeneration in Rats

“…Stem cell tracking is an important method for revealing the mechanism of stem cell therapy by indicating the distribution and differentiation of transplanted cells ( 19 ). Many tracking methods, including MRI, fluorescence ima-ging, and ultrasound imaging have been developed ( 20 ).…”

Effect of size and morphology of functionalized upconversion nanoparticle labeled probe on stem cell absorption

“…Among the several types of nanostructural labeling agents including magnetic nanopartciles, 11,12 carbon nanotubes, 13 quantum dots (QDs), 14,15 and silicon nanoparticles, 16 some well-designed nanoparticles have primarily been tried for biomedical application due to their excellent physico-chemical properties such as specific optical and electronic properties. 17 This finding has led to the evaluation of inorganic nanoprobes for use in labeling and tracking of stem cells bioimaging.…”