Issue 11, 2014

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

Abstract

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.

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

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Dec 2013
Accepted
08 Mar 2014
First published
17 Apr 2014

Nanoscale, 2014,6, 5799-5806

Author version available

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

W. Shang, X. Zhang, M. Zhang, Z. Fan, Y. Sun, M. Han and L. Fan, Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 5799 DOI: 10.1039/C3NR06433F

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