The poor retention and survival of cells after transplantation to solid tissue represent a major obstacle for the effectiveness of stem\ncell-based therapies. The ability to track stem cells in vivo can lead to a better understanding of the biodistribution of transplanted\ncells, in addition to improving the analysis of stem cell therapiesâ?? outcomes. Here, we described the use of a carbon nanotubebased\ncontrast agent (CA) for X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging as an intracellular CA to label bone marrow-derived\nmesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Porcine MSCs were labeled without observed cytotoxicity. The CA consists of a hybrid material\ncontaining ultra-short single-walled carbon nanotubes (20-80nm in length, US-tubes) and Bi(III) oxo-salicylate clusters which\ncontain four Bi3+ ions per cluster (Bi4C). The CA is thus abbreviated as Bi4C@US-tubes.
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