Biological Potential of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-Functionalized Graph…
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논문명 | Biological Potential of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots in In Vitro Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells |
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저자 | Yunseong Ji, Yu-Meng Li, Jin Gwan Seo, Tae-Su Jang, Jonathan Campbell Knowles, Sung Ho Song and Jung-Hwan Lee |
저널명 | Nanomaterials |
게재년월 | 2021/5/29 |
Vol. pp |
Stem cell therapy is one of the novel and prospective fields. The ability of stem cells to
differentiate into different lineages makes them attractive candidates for several therapies. It is
essential to understand the cell fate, distribution, and function of transplanted cells in the local
microenvironment before their applications. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an accurate and
reliable labeling method of stem cells for imaging techniques to track their translocation after
transplantation. The graphitic quantum dots (GQDs) are selected among various stem cell labeling
and tracking strategies which have high photoluminescence ability, photostability, relatively low
cytotoxicity, tunable surface functional groups, and delivering capacity. Since GQDs interact easily
with the cell and interfere with cell behavior through surface functional groups, an appropriate
surface modification needs to be considered to get close to the ideal labeling nanoprobes. In this study,
polyethylene glycol (PEG) is used to improve biocompatibility while simultaneously maintaining the
photoluminescent potentials of GQDs. The biochemically inert PEG successfully covered the surface
of GQDs. The PEG-GQDs composites show adequate bioimaging capabilities when internalized
into neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs). Furthermore, the bio-inertness of the PEG-GQDs is
confirmed. Herein, we introduce the PEG-GQDs as a valuable tool for stem cell labeling and tracking
for biomedical therapies in the field of neural regeneration.