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

Yi-Xiang J Wang; Thibault Quercy-Jouvet; Hao-Hao Wang; Ak-Wai Li; Chun-Pong Chak; Shouhu Xuan; Lin Shi; De-Feng Wang; Siu-Fung Lee; Ping-Chung Leung; Clara B S Lau; Kwok-Pui Fung; Ken Cham-Fai Leung

doi:10.3390/ma4040703

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

Materials (Basel). 2011 Apr 7;4(4):703-715. doi: 10.3390/ma4040703.

Authors

Yi-Xiang J Wang¹, Thibault Quercy-Jouvet^{2

3}, Hao-Hao Wang⁴, Ak-Wai Li⁵, Chun-Pong Chak⁶, Shouhu Xuan⁷, Lin Shi⁸, De-Feng Wang⁹, Siu-Fung Lee¹⁰, Ping-Chung Leung¹¹, Clara B S Lau¹², Kwok-Pui Fung¹³, Ken Cham-Fai Leung¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. yixiang_wang@cuhk.edu.hk.
² Center of Novel Functional Molecules and Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China.
³ Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China.
⁴ Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. coldhot33@163.com.
⁵ Center of Novel Functional Molecules and Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. akwai0916@hotmail.com.
⁶ Center of Novel Functional Molecules and Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. sonicpong@cuhk.edu.hk.
⁷ Center of Novel Functional Molecules and Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. shhx@mail.ustc.edu.cn.
⁸ Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. shilin@cuhk.edu.hk.
⁹ Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. dfwang@cuhk.edu.hk.
¹⁰ Center of Novel Functional Molecules and Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. s0902552@mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk.
¹¹ Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. pingcleung@cuhk.edu.hk.
¹² Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. claralau@cuhk.edu.hk.
¹³ Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. kpfung@cuhk.edu.hk.
¹⁴ Center of Novel Functional Molecules and Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. cfleung@cuhk.edu.hk.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: cell labeling; magnetic nanoparticle; surface modification.