title: Self-Assembled Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoclusters for Universal Cell Labeling and MRI.
abstract: Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles have been widely used in a variety of biomedical applications, especially as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cell labeling. In this study, SPIO nanoparticles were stabilized with amphiphilic low molecular weight polyethylenimine (PEI) in an aqueous phase to form monodispersed nanocomposites with a controlled clustering structure. The iron-based nanoclusters with a size of 115.3 ± 40.23 nm showed excellent performance on cellular uptake and cell labeling in different types of cells, moreover, which could be tracked by MRI with high sensitivity. The SPIO nanoclusters presented negligible cytotoxicity in various types of cells as detected using MTS, LDH, and flow cytometry assays. Significantly, we found that ferritin protein played an essential role in protecting stress from SPIO nanoclusters. Taken together, the self-assembly of SPIO nanoclusters with good magnetic properties provides a safe and efficient method for universal cell labeling with noninvasive MRI monitoring capability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Xiamen Medical College, Xiamen, 361008, China.
authors.forename: Shuzhen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.|Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, 637007, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
authors.forename: Shengwei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
authors.forename: Yuchun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
authors.forename: Chengyong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China. gangliu.cmitm@xmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, Center for Molecular Imaging and Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China. linzhn@xmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zhongning
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
keywords: Biocompatibility; Cell labeling; MRI; Nanoclusters; SPIO