Abstract
Therapies based on stem cell transplants offer significant potential in the field of regenerative medicine. Monitoring the fate of the transplanted stem cells in a timely manner is considered one of the main limitations for long-standing success of stem cell transplants. Imaging methods that visualize and track stem cells in vivo non-invasively in real time are helpful towards the development of successful cell transplantation techniques. Novel molecular imaging methods which are non-invasive particularly such as MRI have been of great recent interest. Hence, mouse models which are of clinical relevance have been studied by injecting contrast agents used for labelling cells such as super-paramagnetic iron-oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles for cellular imaging. The MR techniques which can be used to generate positive contrast images have been of much relevance recently for tracking of the labelled cells. Particularly when the off-resonance region in the vicinity of the labeled cells is selectively excited while suppressing the signals from the non-labeled regions by the method of spectral dephasing. Thus, tracking of magnetically labelled cells employing positive contrast in vivo MR imaging methods in a burn mouse model in a non-invasive way has been the scope of this study. The consequences have direct implications for monitoring labeled stem cells at some stage in wound healing. We suggest that our approach can be used in clinical trials in molecular and regenerative medicine.
Highlights
Stem cells (SCs) are a group of undifferentiated pluripotent cells characterized by the aid of the capability to undergo self-renewal as well as differentiation into various other tissue types which in turn depends on what type of tissues they have been derived from [1]
Mouse models which are of clinical relevance have been studied by injecting contrast agents used for labelling cells such as super-paramagnetic iron-oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles for cellular imaging
We suggest that our approach can be used in clinical trials in molecular and regenerative medicine
Summary
Stem cells (SCs) are a group of undifferentiated pluripotent cells characterized by the aid of the capability to undergo self-renewal as well as differentiation into various other tissue types which in turn depends on what type of tissues they have been derived from [1]. On the other hand SCs can be of adult origin, and can be derived from adult germ cells [2]. Adult SCs are derived from adult tissues of different organs consisting of intestines and bone marrow, which are taken into consideration to have excessive turnover [2]. The potential clinical application of different types of SCs has been reported for specific varieties of wounds in the field of wound healing [4] [5] [6] with a special interest in burning wounds [3]. The use of mesenchymal bone marrow derived stem cells (BMSCs) for burn wound recovery in rats, as stated through Shumakov et al [7] had been the first to use stem cells in the area of burn wound healing. Further it is added that use of mesenchymal SCs on burn wounds improves formation of blood vessels and decreases unusual growth of cells [9]
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