In Vivo Visualization of Embryonic Stem Cell Survival, Proliferation, and Migration After Cardiac Delivery

TLDR

Stem cell therapy can promote tissue regeneration, but in vivo monitoring is limited by conventional histological assays and imaging modalities. The study aims to characterize embryonic stem cells stably expressing a triple‑fusion reporter and to monitor their survival, proliferation, and migration kinetics after cardiac delivery. Murine ES cells were transduced with a lentiviral triple‑fusion reporter, 10 million cells were injected into the myocardium of adult nude rats, and their fate was tracked by bioluminescence and PET imaging. The reporter‑modified cells survived and proliferated over four weeks, formed teratomas that were prevented by ganciclovir, and the platform proved capable of tracking stem cell fate in vivo.

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that stem cell therapy can promote tissue regeneration; however, monitoring stem cells in vivo remains problematic owing to limitations of conventional histological assays and imaging modalities.Murine embryonic stem (ES) cells were stably transduced with a lentiviral vector carrying a novel triple-fusion (TF) reporter gene that consists of firefly luciferase, monomeric red fluorescence protein, and truncated thymidine kinase (fluc-mrfp-ttk). ES cell viability, proliferation, and differentiation ability were not adversely affected by either reporter genes or reporter probes compared with nontransduced control cells (P=NS). Afterward, 1x10(7) of ES cells carrying the TF reporter gene (ES-TF) were injected into the myocardium of adult nude rats (n=20). Control animals received nontransduced ES cells (n=6). At day 4, the bioluminescence and positron emission tomography signals in study animals were 3.7x10(7)+/-5.8x10(6) photons.s(-1).cm(-2) per steradian (sr) and 0.08+/-0.03% injected dose/g, respectively (P<0.05 versus control). Both signals increased progressively from week 1 to week 4, which indicated ES cell survival and proliferation in the host. Histological analysis demonstrated the formation of intracardiac and extracardiac teratomas. Finally, animals (n=4) that were treated with intraperitoneal injection of ganciclovir (50 mg/kg) did not develop teratomas when compared with control animals (n=4) treated with saline (1 mL/kg).This is the first study to characterize ES cells that stably express fluorescence, bioluminescence, and positron emission tomography reporter genes and monitor the kinetics of ES cell survival, proliferation, and migration. This versatile imaging platform should have broad applications for basic research and clinical studies on stem cell therapy.