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Updated: Apr 7, 2026
An In Vivo Blood-brain Barrier Permeability Assay in Mice Using Fluorescently Labeled Tracers
Published on: February 26, 2018
Are they in or out? The elusive interaction between Qtracker ® 800 vascular labels and brain endothelial cells
Beatrice Mihaela Radu1,2, Mihai Radu1,3, Cristina Tognoli1
1Section of Anatomy & Histology, Department of Neurological & Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona 37134, Italy.
Aim:
Qtracker(®)800 Vascular labels (Qtracker(®)800) are promising biomedical tools for high-resolution vasculature imaging; their effects on mouse and human endothelia, however, are still unknown.
Materials & Methods:
Qtracker(®)800 were injected in Balb/c mice, and brain endothelium uptake was investigated by transmission electron microscopy 3-h post injection. We then investigated, in vitro, the effects of Qtracker(®)800 exposure on mouse and human endothelial cells by calcium imaging.
Results:
Transmission electron microscopy images showed nanoparticle accumulation in mouse brain endothelia. A subset of mouse and human endothelial cells generated intracellular calcium transients in response to Qtracker(®)800.
Conclusion:
Qtracker(®)800 nanoparticles elicit endothelial functional responses, which prompts biomedical safety evaluations and may bias the interpretation of experimental studies involving vascular imaging.
