The Use of Technetium-99m for Intravital Tracing of Transplanted Multipotent Stromal Cells

We studied the possibility of in vivo tracing of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells labeled with a radiophermaceutic preparation based on metastable isotope Technetium-99m and injected to rats with modeled traumatic brain injury. Accumulation of labeled cells occurred primarily in the liver and lungs. The cells distribution in internal organs greatly varied depending on the administration route. Cell injection into the carotid artery led to their significant accumulation in the damaged brain hemisphere, while intravenous injection was followed by diffuse cell distribution in all brain structures. Scintigraphy data were confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and histological staining of cells. Visualization of stem cells labeled with Technetium-99m-based preparation by scintigraphy is an objective and highly informative method allowing real-time in vivo cell tracing in the body.