title: Magnetic targeting of iron-oxide-labeled fluorescent hepatoma cells to the liver.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether an external magnet field can induce preferential trafficking of magnetically labeled Huh7 hepatoma cells to the liver following liver cell transplantation. Huh7 hepatoma cells were labeled with anionic magnetic nanoparticles (AMNP) and tagged with a fluorescent membrane marker (PKH67). Iron-uptake was measured by magnetophoresis. Twenty C57Bl6 mice received an intrasplenic injection of 2 x 10(6) labeled cells. An external magnet (0.29 T; 25 T/m) was placed over the liver of 13 randomly selected animals (magnet group), while the remaining 7 animals served as controls. MRI (1.5 T) and confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM) were performed 10 days post-transplantation. The presence and location of labeled cells within the livers were compared in the magnet group and controls, and confronted with histological analysis representing the standard of reference. Mean iron content per cell was 6 pg. Based on histology, labeled cells were more frequently present within recipient livers in the magnet group (p < 0.01) where their distribution was preferentially peri-vascular (p < 0.05). MRI and CFM gave similar results for the overall detection of transplanted cells (kappa = 0.828) and for the identification of peri-vascular cells (kappa = 0.78). Application of an external magnet can modify the trafficking of transplanted cells, especially by promoting the formation of perivascular aggregates.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Recherche en Imagerie, EA 4062, Université René Descartes, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, 20 rue Leblanc, 75015 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luciani
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bruneval
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cunin
authors.forename: Gwennhael
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Autret
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahmouni
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Clément
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gazeau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008280:Magnetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C000499:ferric oxide