<i>In Vivo</i> Photoacoustic Monitoring of Stem Cell Location and Apoptosis with Caspase-3-Responsive Nanosensors
Jhunjhunwala A., Kim J., Kubelick KP., Ethier CR., Emelianov SY.
Animal Study, published in ACS Nano (2023) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
- Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
- Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
- Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
- Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
- Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Animal Study
- Journal
- ACS Nano (2023)
- Reported sample size
- —
- Source database
- Europe PMC
- PMID
- 37703202
- PMCID
- PMC10540261
- DOI
- 10.1021/acsnano.3c04161
- Citations
- 23
Abstract (original English)
Stem cell therapy has immense potential in a variety of regenerative medicine applications. However, clinical stem cell therapy is severely limited by challenges in assessing the location and functional status of implanted cells in vivo . Thus, there is a great need for longitudinal, noninvasive stem cell monitoring. Here we introduce a multidisciplinary approach combining nanosensor-augmented stem cell labeling with ultrasound guided photoacoustic (US/PA) imaging for the spatial tracking and functional assessment of transplanted stem cell fate. Specifically, our nanosensor incorporates a peptide sequence that is selectively cleaved by caspase-3, the primary effector enzyme in mammalian cell apoptosis; this cleavage event causes labeled cells to show enhanced optical absorption in the first near-infrared (NIR) window. Optimization of labeling protocols and spectral characterization of the nanosensor in vitro showed a 2.4-fold increase in PA signal from labeled cells during apoptosis while simultaneously permitting cell localization. We then successfully tracked the location and apoptotic status of mesenchymal stem cells in a mouse hindlimb ischemia model for 2 weeks in vivo , demonstrating a 4.8-fold increase in PA signal and spectral slope changes in the first NIR window under proapoptotic (ischemic) conditions. We conclude that our nanosensor allows longitudinal, noninvasive,
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • This is preclinical work; animal or laboratory results cannot be applied to humans.
Evidence level
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
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