title: MRI of auto-transplantation of bone marrow-derived stem-progenitor cells for potential repair of injured arteries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was to validate the feasibility of using clinical 3.0T MRI to monitor the migration of autotransplanted bone marrow (BM)-derived stem-progenitor cells (SPC) to the injured arteries of near-human sized swine for potential cell-based arterial repair.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was divided into two phases. For in vitro evaluation, BM cells were extracted from the iliac crests of 13 domestic pigs and then labeled with a T2 contrast agent, Feridex, and/or a fluorescent tissue marker, PKH26. The viability, the proliferation efficiency and the efficacies of Feridex and/or PKH26 labeling were determined. For in vivo validation, the 13 pigs underwent endovascular balloon-mediated intimal damages of the iliofemoral arteries. The labeled or un-labeled BM cells were autotransplanted back to the same pig from which the BM cells were extracted. Approximately three weeks post-cell transplantation, 3.0T T2-weighted MRI was performed to detect Feridex-created signal voids of the transplanted BM cells in the injured iliofemoral arteries, which was confirmed by subsequent histologic correlation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the in vitro study, the viability of dual-labeled BM cells was 95-98%. The proliferation efficiencies of dual-labeled BM cells were not significantly different compared to those of non-labeled cells. The efficacies of Feridex- and PKH26 labeling were 90% and 100%, respectively. Of the in vivo study, 3.0T MRI detected the auto-transplanted BM cells migrated to the injured arteries, which was confirmed by histologic examinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates the capability of using clinical 3.0T MRI to monitor the auto-transplantation of BM cells that migrate to the injured arteries of large animals, which may provide a useful MRI technique to monitor cell-based arterial repair.
authors.affiliation: Image-Guided Bio-Molecular Interventions Section, Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
authors.forename: Yanfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blair
authors.forename: Huidong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Hongqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Jinnan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Zhaoqi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bensheng
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014945:Wound Healing