Study reports iron oxide nanoparticles effective for labeling human endothelial cells

Loading cells too heavily with INOPS can cause cell deathPutnam Valley, NY. (Dec. 20, 2012) – A team of researchers from three medical institutions in Guangzhou, China, have found that iron oxide nanoparticles (INOPS) are a useful contrast agent for in vivo magnetic resonance tracking of transplanted human endothelial cells. However, the impact of INOPS on the cells varies with a number of factors including the INOPS load. They found that the percentage of iron-labeled cells was significantly lower after 48 hours post-transplantation than at 24 hours post-transplantation. They also found that high INOPS concentration can affect cell activity. High INOPS concentration can induce cell death (apoptosis).

Their study is published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (21:9), now freely available on-line athttp://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/.