title: Cellular internalization of LiNbO3 nanocrystals for second harmonic imaging and the effects on stem cell differentiation.
abstract: Second harmonic generation (SHG) nanocrystals have recently been reported to label cancer cells and other functional cell lines due to their unique double-frequency property. In this paper, we report for the first time the use of lithium niobate (LiNbO3, LN) nanocrystals as SHG labels for imaging stem cells. Rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) were labeled with LN nanocrystals in order to study the cellular internalization of the nanocrystals and the influence on stem cell differentiation. The results showed that LN nanocrystals were endocytosed by the rMSCs and the distribution of the internalized nanoparticles demonstrated a high consistency with the orientation of the actin filaments. Besides, LN-labeled rMSCs showed a concentration-dependent viability. Most importantly, rMSCs labeled with 50 μg per mL of LN nanocrystals retained their ability to differentiate into both osteogenic and adipogenic lineages. The results prove that LN nanocrystals can be used as a cytocompatible, near-infrared (NIR) light driven cell label for long-term imaging, without hindering stem cell differentiation. This work will promote the use of LN nanocrystals to broader applications like deep-tissue tracking, remote drug delivery and stem cell therapy.
authors.affiliation: State Key Lab of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China. hdjiang@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Lab of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China. hdjiang@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jichuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), 100083, P. R. China. hongliu@sdu.edu.cn hliu@binn.cas.cn.
authors.forename: Weibo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), 100083, P. R. China. hongliu@sdu.edu.cn hliu@binn.cas.cn.
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Lab of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China. hdjiang@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Baojin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), 100083, P. R. China. hongliu@sdu.edu.cn hliu@binn.cas.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaoning
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mou
authors.affiliation: Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanes
authors.affiliation: State Key Lab of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China. hdjiang@sdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Huaidong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: State Key Lab of Crystal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China. hdjiang@sdu.edu.cn and Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), 100083, P. R. China. hongliu@sdu.edu.cn hliu@binn.cas.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009556:Niobium / Q000737:chemistry*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D010087:Oxides; D009556:Niobium; C091692:lithium niobate