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It was shown that ELIPs specifically enhance endothelial injury/atheroma components. This allows better characterization of the type and extent of active atheroma components and may allow more directed therapy.

Previously, passive cavitation imaging has been described in the context of continuous-wave high-intensity focused ultrasound thermal ablation. However, the technique has potential use as a feedback mechanism for pulsed-wave therapies, such as ultrasound-mediated drug delivery. In this paper, results of experiments and simulations are reported to demonstrate the feasibility of passive cavitation imaging using pulsed ultrasound insonations and how the images depend on pulsed ultrasound parameters. The passive cavitation images were formed from channel data that was beamformed in the frequency domain. Experiments were performed in an in vitro flow phantom with an experimental echo contrast agent, echogenic liposomes, as cavitation nuclei. It was found that the pulse duration and envelope have minimal impact on the image resolution achieved. The passive cavitation image amplitude scales linearly with the cavitation emission energy. Cavitation images for both stable and inertial cavitation can be obtained from the same received data set.

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The aim of this study was to characterize the frequency-dependent acoustic attenuation of three phospholipid-shelled ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs): Definity, MicroMarker and echogenic liposomes. A broadband through-transmission technique allowed for measurement over 2 to 25 MHz with a single pair of transducers. Viscoelastic shell parameters of the UCAs were estimated using a linearized model developed by N. de Jong, L. Hoff, T. Skotland and N. Bom (Ultrasonics 1992; 30:95–103). The effect of diluent on the attenuation of these UCA suspensions was evaluated by performing attenuation measurements in 0.5% (w/v) bovine serum albumin and whole blood. Changes in attenuation and shell parameters of the UCAs were investigated at room temperature (25°C) and physiologic temperature (37°C). The attenuation of the UCAs diluted in 0.5% (w/v) bovine serum albumin was found to be identical to the attenuation of UCAs in whole blood. For each UCA, attenuation was higher at 37°C than at 25°C, underscoring the importance of conducting characterization studies at physiologic temperature. Echogenic liposomes exhibited a larger increase in attenuation at 37°C versus 25°C than either Definity or MicroMarker.

Introduction-Targeted delivery of thrombolytics to the site of occlusion is an attractive concept, with implications for the treatment of many thrombo-occlusive diseases. Ultrasound enhances thrombolysis, which can be augmented by the addition of a contrast agent. We have previously reported development of echogenic liposomes (ELIP) for targeted highlighting of structures with potential for drug and gene delivery. This study evaluated the potential of ELIP for thrombolytic loading, and the effect of ultrasound exposure of thrombolytic-loaded ELIP on thrombolytic efficacy.

Objective To develop a new bioactive gas delivery method using echogenic liposomes (ELIP) as the gas carrier. Background Nitric oxide (NO) is a bioactive gas with potent therapeutic effects. Bioavailability of NO by systemic delivery is low with potential systemic effects. Methods Liposomes containing phospholipids and cholesterol were prepared using a new freezing under pressure method. The encapsulation and release profile of NO from NO containing-ELIP (NO-ELIP) or a mixture of NO/Argon (NO/Ar-ELIP was studied. Uptake of NO from NO-ELIP by cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) both in the absence and presence of hemoglobin was determined. The effect of NO-ELIP delivery to attenuate intimal hyperplasia in a balloon-injured artery was determined. Results Coencapsulation of NO with argon (Ar) enabled the adjustment the amount of encapsulated NO. A total of 10 µl of gas can be encapsulated into 1 mg liposomes. The release profile of NO from NO-ELIP demonstrated an initial rapid release followed by a slower release over 8 hours. Sixty-eight percent of cells remained viable when incubated with 80 µg/ml of NO/Ar-ELIP for 4 hours. NO delivery to VSMC using NO/Ar-ELIP was 7-fold higher than unencapsulated NO. NO/Ar-ELIP remained effective NO delivery to VSMC even in the presence of hemoglobin. Local NO-ELIP administration to balloon-injured carotid arteries attenuated the development of intimal hyperplasia and reduced arterial wall thickening by 41±9%. Conclusions Liposomes can protect and deliver a bioactive gas to target tissues with the potential for both visualization of gas delivery and controlled therapeutic gas release.

Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) are used clinically to aid detection and diagnosis of abnormal blood flow or perfusion. Characterization of UCAs can aid in the optimization of ultrasound parameters for enhanced image contrast. In this study echogenic liposomes (ELIPs) were characterized acoustically by measuring the frequency-dependent attenuation and backscatter coefficients at frequencies between 3 and 30 MHz using a broadband pulse-echo technique. The experimental methods were initially validated by comparing the attenuation and backscatter coefficients measured from 50-μm and 100-μm polystyrene microspheres with theoretical values. The size distribution of the ELIPs was measured and found to be polydisperse, ranging in size from 40 nm to 6 μm in diameter, with the highest number observed at 65 nm. The ELIP attenuation coefficients ranged from 3.7  ±  1.0 to 8.0  ±  3.3 dB/cm between 3 and 25 MHz. The backscatter coefficients were 0.011  ±  0.006 (cm str)(-1) between 6 and 9 MHz and 0.023 ± 0.006 (cm str)(-1) between 13 and 30 MHz. The measured scattering-to-attenuation ratio ranged from 8% to 22% between 6 and 25 MHz. Thus ELIPs can provide enhanced contrast over a broad range of frequencies and the scattering properties are suitable for various ultrasound imaging applications including diagnostic and intravascular ultrasound.