The uptake mechanism and biocompatibility of graphene quantum dots with human neural stem cells

Cellular imaging after transplantation may provide important information to determine the efficacy of stem cell therapy. We have reported that graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are a type of robust biological labeling agent for stem cells that demonstrate little cytotoxicity. In this study, we examined t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nanoscale 2014-06, Vol.6 (11), p.5799-586
Main Authors: Shang, Weihu, Zhang, Xiaoyan, Zhang, Mo, Fan, Zetan, Sun, Ying, Han, Mei, Fan, Louzhen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biocompatibility
Biocompatible Materials - chemistry
Biocompatible Materials - metabolism
Biocompatible Materials - pharmacology
Cell Differentiation - drug effects
Cell Proliferation - drug effects
Cell Survival - drug effects
Cells, Cultured
Differentiation
Graphene
Graphite - chemistry
Human
Humans
Marking
Neural Stem Cells - cytology
Neural Stem Cells - metabolism
Quantum dots
Quantum Dots - chemistry
Stem cells
Tracking
Tubulin - metabolism
Uptakes
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Summary:Cellular imaging after transplantation may provide important information to determine the efficacy of stem cell therapy. We have reported that graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are a type of robust biological labeling agent for stem cells that demonstrate little cytotoxicity. In this study, we examined the interactions of GQDs on human neural stem cells (hNSCs) with the aim to investigate the uptake and biocompatibility of GQDs. We examined the mechanism of GQD uptake by hNSCs and investigated the effects of GQDs on the proliferation, metabolic activity, and differentiation potential of hNSCs. This information is critical to assess the suitability of GQDs for stem cell tracking. Our results indicated that GQDs were taken up into hNSCs in a concentration- and time-dependent manner via the endocytosis mechanism. Furthermore, no significant change was found in the viability, proliferation, metabolic activity, and differentiation potential of hNSCs after treatment with GQDs. Thus, these data open a promising avenue for labeling stem cells with GQDs and also offer a potential opportunity to develop GQDs for biomedical applications. The uptake of GQDs by human neural stem cells via the endocytosis pathway is efficient and biocompatible with hNSCs in vitro .
ISSN:2040-3364
2040-3372
DOI:10.1039/c3nr06433f