Research Paper Volume 15, Issue 4 pp 1130—1142
Effects of magnetically targeted iron oxide@polydopamine-labeled human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in cerebral infarction in mice
- 1 Department of Scientific Research Center, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin, China
- 2 Central Laboratory, Dalian Municipal Women and Children’s Medical Center (Group), Xigang District, Dalian 116012, China
- 3 Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin, China
- 4 Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC 20007, USA
- 5 Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130031, Jilin, China
Received: December 19, 2022 Accepted: February 8, 2023 Published: February 2023
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.204540How to Cite
Copyright: © 2023 Yan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells are a potential therapeutic candidate for cerebral infarction due to their anti-inflammatory proprieties. However, ensuring the engraftment of sufficient cells into the affected brain area remains a challenge. Herein, magnetic targeting techniques were used for the transplantation of a large number of cells noninvasively. Mice subjected to pMCAO surgery were administered MSCs labeled or not with iron oxide@polydopamine nanoparticles by tail vein injection. Iron oxide@polydopamine particles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, and labeled MSCs were characterized by flow cytometry and their differentiation potential was assessed in vitro. Following the systemic injection of iron oxide@polydopamine-labeled MSCs into pMCAO-induced mices, magnetic navigation increased the MSCs localization to the brain lesion site and reduced the lesion volume. Treatment with iron oxide@polydopamine-labeled MSCs also significantly inhibited M1 microglia polarization and increased M2 microglia cell infiltration. Furthermore, western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that microtubule-associated protein 2 and NeuN levels were upregulated the brain tissue of mice treated with iron oxide@polydopamine-labeled MSCs. Thus, iron oxide@polydopamine-labeled MSCs attenuated brain injury and protected neurons by preventing pro-inflammatory microglia activation. Overall, the proposed iron oxide@polydopamine-labeled MSCs approach may overcome the major drawback of the conventional MSCs therapy for the treatment of cerebral infarction.