ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to label rabbit bone derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) with superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) and to study the effects of magnetic labeling on the multi-differentiation of BMSCs. Rabbit BMSCs were isolated, purified, expanded, then coincubated with SPIO(25 microg/ml) complexed to protamine sulfate (Pro) transfection agents overnight. Prussian blue staining and transmission electron microscopy were performed to show intracellular iron. Cell differentiation was evaluated. Both labeled and unlabeled BMSCs were subjected to osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation to assess their differentiation capacity for 21 d. Osteogenic cells were stained with alizarin red to reveal calcium deposition, adipogenic cells were stained with oil redO' respectively. Chondrogenic cells stained with Safranin-O, glycosamino glycans, and type II collagen production was assessed by standard immunohistochemistry. Cell with immunohistochemistry staining were detected by polarized light microscopy and analysed by Image-Pro Plus software. The results showed that intracytoplasmic nanoparticles were stained with Prussian blue and observed by transmission electron microscopy clearly except the unlabeled control. As compared with the nonlabeled cells, it showed no statistically significant difference on the differentiation of the labeled BMSCs. And the differentiation of the labeled cells were unaffected by the endosomal incorporation of SPIO. In summary, BMSCs can be labeled with SPIO without significant change in cell multi-differentiation capacity.