Biocompatible polymer-coated magneto-fluorescent super nanoparticles for the homing of mesenchymal stem cells

Stem cell plays an important role in the clinical field. However, the effective delivery of stem cells to the targeted site relies on the efficient homing of the cells to the site of injury. In view of that, fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles stick out due to their wide range of enabling functions including cellular homing and tracking. The present study unravels the synthesis of polymer-coated biocompatible and fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles (FMNPs) by a single-step hydrothermal synthesis method. Importantly, the facile method developed the biological super nanoparticles consisting of the magnetic core, which is surrounded by the fluorescent nanodot-decorated polymeric shell. The synthesized particles showed an amorphous nature, and superparamagnetic properties, with efficient fluorescence properties of emission at the blue range (̴ 410 nm). The FMNP labeling showed the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) homing to the desired site in the presence of an external magnetic field. The in-house synthesized nanoparticles showed significant cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility in vitro as well as in vivo conditions owing to their surface coating. This unprecedented work advances the efficient internalization of FMNPs in MSCs and their enhanced migration potential provides a breakthrough in stem cell delivery for therapeutic applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The bi-modal fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles hold a promising role in the biomedical field for mesenchymal stem cell homing and tracking. Hence, in this study, for the first time, we have synthesized the fluorescent magnetic nanoparticle with polymer coating via an easy single-step method. The nanoparticle with a polymer coat enhanced the biocompatibility and effortless internalization of the nanoparticle into mesenchymal stem cells without hampering the native stem cell properties. Furthermore, the enhanced migration potential of such magnetized stem cells and their homing at the target site by applying an external magnetic field opened up avenues for the smart delivery of mesenchymal stem cells at complex sites such as retina for the tissue regeneration.