Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for direct labeling of stem cells and in vivo MRI tracking.

To develop effective stem cell therapies, it is important to track therapeutic cells non-invasively and monitor homing to areas of pathology. The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate the labeling efficiency of commercially available dextran-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, FeraTrack Direct (FTD), in various stem and immune cells; assess the cytotoxicity and tolerability of the FTD in stem cells; and monitor stem cell homing using FTD-labeled bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) and neural stem cells (NSCs) in a tumor model by in vivo MRI. BMSCs, NSCs, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), T-lymphocytes, and monocytes were labeled effectively with FTD without the need for transfection agents, and Prussian blue (PB) staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed intracellular uptake of the agent.