Background
In the past decade, trackable smart drug delivery systems have played important roles in the treatment of many diseases such as cancer because the drug carriers can be visualized through their distinct physical properties. However, it is still difficult to achieve precise drug delivery because such systems usually rely on a single imaging system.
Aim
This study aimed to present a novel type of multimodality imaging‐guided strategy to visualize the drug carriers of eccentric magnetic microcapsule (EMM) designed for potential treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Method and results
The EMMs were prepared by using a three‐phase microfluidic device. The as‐prepared EMMs embedded with Fe3O4 nanoparticles are magnetic, with high density and acoustic impedance, allowing for visualization by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasound (US) imaging during local injection. The release of drug from these EMMs can be further controlled by an external electromagnetic field (EMF). As a proof of concept, we demonstrated the process of multimodality imaging to guide local injection and the controlled release of doxorubicin (DOX) from the EMMs in a phantom. We showed that the release rate of DOX was directly correlated to the strength of the EMF. In addition, we cocultured green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐transfected HeLa cancer cells with the DOX‐loaded EMMs and documented their apoptosis by DOX following the release triggered by EMF.
Conclusion
The results suggest that these EMMs serve both as contrast agents that can be visualized by multimodality imaging techniques and as smart drug delivery systems, with great potential for precision medicine.
Microbubbles
have been widely used as ultrasound contrast agents
in clinical diagnosis. Moreover, most current preparation methods
for microbubbles are uncontrollable, and the as-obtained microbubbles
are unstable in aqueous solution or under ultrasound. Here, we report
a strategy to prepare superiorly stable microbubbles with three-layer
structures by the ethanol–water exchange. This versatile method
can also be applied to prepare different kinds of protein microbubbles
with various sizes for advanced biomedical applications. To demonstrate
this, the protein air microbubbles are created, which is stable in
water for several days with intact structures and exhibits excellent
contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging. Moreover, the protein air microbubbles
can also deliver a mass of drugs while maintaining their stable structures,
making them a platform for ultrasound imaging-guided drug delivery.
The versatile protein air microbubbles have great potential for the
design and application of theranostic platforms.
Imaging-guided vascular embolization is frequently performed on patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to alleviate symptoms and extend their survival time. However, current operation procedures were not only painful for...
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