1. Academic Validation
  2. Impact of mesenchymal stem cell size and adhesion modulation on in vivo distribution: insights from quantitative PET imaging

Impact of mesenchymal stem cell size and adhesion modulation on in vivo distribution: insights from quantitative PET imaging

  • Stem Cell Res Ther. 2024 Nov 28;15(1):456. doi: 10.1186/s13287-024-04078-4.
Xin Ji # 1 Lizhen Wang # 2 3 Yudan Zhong 2 3 Qian Xu 2 3 Junjie Yan 2 3 Donghui Pan 3 Yuping Xu 2 3 Chongyang Chen 3 Jing Wang 4 Guangji Wang 5 Min Yang 2 3 Tiannv Li 1 Lijun Tang 6 Xinyu Wang 7 8
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, 210029, P.R. China.
  • 2 Department of Radiopharmaceuticals, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, P.R. China.
  • 3 NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, 214063, P.R. China.
  • 4 Jiangsu Renocell Biotech Co., Ltd., Nanjing, 211100, P.R. China.
  • 5 Key Laboratory of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, P.R. China.
  • 6 Department of Nuclear Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, 210029, P.R. China. tanglijun@njmu.edu.cn.
  • 7 Department of Radiopharmaceuticals, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, P.R. China. wangxinyu@jsinm.org.
  • 8 NHC Key Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Jiangsu Institute of Nuclear Medicine, Wuxi, 214063, P.R. China. wangxinyu@jsinm.org.
  • # Contributed equally.
Abstract

Background: Successful engraftment and localization of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) within target tissues are critical factors influencing their therapeutic efficacy for tissue repair and regeneration. However, the relative contributions of biophysical factors like cell size and adhesion capacity in regulating MSC distribution in vivo remain incompletely understood.

Methods: Cell adhesion Peptides and hanging drop method were used to modify the adhesive capacity and size of MSCs. To quantitatively track the real-time biodistribution of transplanted MSCs with defined size and adhesion profiles in living mice and rats, the non-invasive positron emission tomography (PET) imaging was applied.

Results: Surface modification with Integrin binding Peptides like RGD, GFOGER, and HAVDI reduced MSC adhesion capacity in vitro by up to 43.5% without altering cell size, but did not significantly decrease lung entrapment in vivo. In contrast, culturing MSCs as 3D spheroids for 48 h reduced their cell diameter by 34.6% and markedly enhanced their ability to pass through the lungs and migrate to Other organs like the liver after intravenous administration. This size-dependent effect on MSC distribution was more pronounced in rats compared to mice, likely due to differences in pulmonary microvessel diameters between species.

Conclusion: Our findings reveal that cell size is a predominant biophysical regulator of MSC localization in vivo compared to adhesion capacity, providing crucial insights to guide optimization of MSC delivery strategies for enhanced therapeutic efficacy.

Keywords

3D spheroid; Adhesion capacity; Cell size; Mesenchymal stem cell; Positron emission tomography.

Figures