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Review
. 2018 May 26;10(5):43-56.
doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v10.i5.43.

Stem cells as delivery vehicles for regenerative medicine-challenges and perspectives

Luminita Labusca  1 , Dumitru Daniel Herea  2 , Kaveh Mashayekhi  3
Affiliations
Review

Stem cells as delivery vehicles for regenerative medicine-challenges and perspectives

Luminita Labusca et al. World J Stem Cells. .

Abstract

The use of stem cells as carriers for therapeutic agents is an appealing modality for targeting tissues or organs of interest. Combined delivery of cells together with various information molecules as therapeutic agents has the potential to enhance, modulate or even initiate local or systemic repair processes, increasing stem cell efficiency for regenerative medicine applications. Stem-cell-mediated delivery of genes, proteins or small molecules takes advantage of the innate capability of stem cells to migrate and home to injury sites. As the native migratory properties are affected by in vitro expansion, the existent methods for enhancing stem cell targeting capabilities (modified culture methods, genetic modification, cell surface engineering) are described. The role of various nanoparticles in equipping stem cells with therapeutic small molecules is revised together with their class-specific advantages and shortcomings. Modalities to circumvent common challenges when designing a stem-cell-mediated targeted delivery system are described as well as future prospects in using this approach for regenerative medicine applications.

Keywords: Delivery agents; Nanoparticles; Regenerative medicine; Stem cells; Targeted delivery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Stem and progenitor cells loaded with magnetic nanoparticles added to culture media. A: human osteoblasts loaded with Fe-Cr-Nb-B magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs); B: Non-loaded human osteoblasts; C: Human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells loaded with Fe-Cr-Nb-B MNPs; D: Non-loaded human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Possible scenario for nanoparticle-loaded stem cell delivery of bioactive molecules towards target organs. Stem cells loaded or decorated with nanoparticle attached to their membrane can be delivered via systemic infusion (intravenous or intraarterial) to migrate by means of blood flow, homing to regenerative sites.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Adipogenic differentiation of human primary adipose-derived stem cells loaded with bare and chitosan-coated Fe-Cr-Nb-B magnetic nanoparticles. A: Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) cells; B: ADSC-magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs); C: ADSC-C-MNPs; D: Control of differentiation (ADSCs grown in normal culture media).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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