Non-invasive tracking of stem cells after transplant is necessary for cell therapy and tissue engineering field. Herein, we introduce natural and biodegradable nanoparticle to develop a highly efficient nanoprobe with the ability to penetrate the stem cell for tracking. Based on the use of (Gd3+) to label stem cells for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) we synthesized nanoparticle-containing Gd3+. Gd3+ could be used as t1-weighted MRI contrast agents. In this study, chitosan-alginate nanoparticles were synthesized as a clinical Dotarem® carrier for decreased t1-weighted. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were utilized for nanoprobe characterization and ICP analysis was performed for Gd3+ concentration measurement. The results illustrate that nanoprobes with spherical shape and with a size of 80 nm without any aggregation were obtained. Relaxivity results suggest that r1 in the phantom was 12.8 mM-1s-1 per Gd3+ ion, which is 3.5 times larger than that for Dotarem® (r1 ∼3.6 mM-1s-1 per Gd3+ ion) and this result for synthesized nanoprobe in stem cells 3.56 mM-1s-1 per Gd3+ ion with 2.16 times larger than that for Dotarem® was reported and also enhanced signal in in-vivo imaging was observed. Chitosan-alginate nanoparticles as a novel biocompatible probe for stem cell tracking can be utilized in tissue engineering approach.
Keywords: Stem cell; alginate; chitosan; imaging; nanoparticle.