Imaging in Stem Cell Transplant and Cell-based Therapy

19

agriculture, household goods, cosmetics, textiles, heavy industry, and more [ 4 ].
Nanomedicine is one of the leading fields of nanotechnology and its applied uses
extend from diagnostic tools to innovative treatments. Tissue engineering and
regeneration has been a major focus of nanotechnology and has led to breakthroughs
in tissues such as bone, skin, heart, vessels and bladder [ 5 ].
Nanoparticles are 1 nm–100 nm in size and can be shaped as sphere (most com-
mon), cube [ 6 , 7 ], prism [ 8 , 9 ], hexagon [ 7 , 10 ], octahedron [ 11 ], rod [ 12 , 13 ], and
tube [ 14 ]. Morphology and size determine the physicochemical properties of the
nanoparticles, as they lead to different cellular uptake and interaction with biologi-
cal tissues [ 15 ].

Table 2.1 The use of common nanoparticles for imaging in stem cell applications. Modified from [ 66 ]

Imaging

modality Particles Comments

MRI Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide

nanoparticles

+

High spatial resolution

−

Easy to aggregate

Non-specific for in-situ labeling

Cyto- and tissue toxicity

Optical imaging Gold nanoparticles +

Inert character

Tunable optical property

High spatial and temporal sensitivity

−

Toxicity

Fluorescent

imaging

Quantum dots +

Tunable emission

Photo-stability

−

Light scattering

Cytotoxicity

Polymer nanoparticles +

Provide structural support

Stable carriers for transplanted stem

cells

−

Photo-bleaching

Quenching and leaching

Silica nanoparticles +

Enhance the photo-stability of dyes

Good ultrasound contrast agents. Easy

to merge with other nanomaterials

−

Potential hemolysis

Cytotoxicity

2 Nanotechnology-Based Stem Cell Applications and Imaging