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Abstract #0207

The Effects of Iron Oxide Labelling on the in Vitro Chondrogenic Potential of Three Human Cell Types

Sushmita Saha1, Steven Frederick Tanner2, Jennifer Kirkham1, David Wood1, Stephen Curran3, Xuebin B. Yang1

1Department of Oral Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, W-Yorkshire, United Kingdom; 2Division of Medical Physics, University of Leeds, Leeds, W-Yorkshire, United Kingdom; 3Smith and Nephew Research Centre, York, United Kingdom


MRI has been used to monitor the distribution of labelled cells in studies related to cell therapy in regenerative medicine. There has been debate on the effects of the Super-Paramagnetic Iron Oxide (SPIO) label on cellular differentiation along the chondrogenic lineage. Whilst previous studies have employed tissue staining to infer cartilage formation; here we use the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction technique to assess the effects of the SPIO label on chondrogenic gene expression. The study has shown that inhibition of gene expression resulting from SPIO labelling is dependent on the target cell used.