Visualizing the Fate of Intra-Articular Injected Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Vivo in the Second Near-Infrared Window for the Effective Treatment of Supraspinatus Tendon Tears.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of exerting strong therapeutic potential for the treatment of supraspinatus tendon tear. However, MSC therapy remains underutilized and perhaps underrated due to the limited evidence of dynamic visualization of cellular behavior in vivo. Here, second near-infrared fluorescence imaging with biocompatible PbS quantum dots (QDs) provides a cellular migration map and information on the biodistribution and clearance processes of three densities of intra-articularly injected, labeled MSCs to treat supraspinatus tendon tear in mice.