Preparation of nanobubbles for ultrasound imaging and intracelluar drug delivery

Crucial factors and emerging concepts in ultrasound-triggered drug delivery

“…According to our calculations (Geers et al 2011a [25], lentacker et al 2010 [20]) and the work performed by Tinkov et al [14,28] between 10 and 40 µg of DOX can be loaded in 1 ml of bubble dispersion which allows us to suggest that liters of a bubble dispersion should be infused, which is practically impossible. Note that in ultrasound imaging with diagnostic bubbles, one is allowed to inject maximal 1 ml of bubble dispersion [2,29,30] per treatment. One can expect however, that using the self-assembled microbubbles the amount of bubbles needed for efficient treatment would be reduced.…”

“…To solve this problem, several papers report on so-called nanobubbles [29,30], also named 'bubble liposomes' [32], which are smaller than 1 µm, combining the benefits of a liposome (small size, long circulation time) with ultrasound responsiveness. These small bubbles are generally prepared by sonicating liposomes in the presence of fluorinated gases.…”

“…These small bubbles are generally prepared by sonicating liposomes in the presence of fluorinated gases. With these nanobubbles successful delivery of pDNA, siRNA and coumarin [33] has been demonstrated both in in vitro and in vivo models.…”

Pharmacokinetics of quercetin-loaded nanodroplets with ultrasound activation and their use for bioimaging

“…Nanoparticles have been designed and used as detectors for diagnostic application in clinical and basic medical research, including magnetic resonance imaging, 7 positron emission tomography, 8 IVIS ® spectrum imaging, 9 and ultrasonic imaging. 10,11 Ultrasonic imaging, a noninvasive and real-time procedure, is often used. Compared with other imaging techniques, ultrasound systems are costeffective, portable, easy to use, and safe for both clinical staff and patients over repeated use due to lack of ionizing radiation.…”

“…15,16 Therefore, nanoscale bubbles (nanobubbles) and nanodroplets have been developed and studied as contrast agents and drug carriers for diagnostic and therapeutic application due to their particle size. 11,15,17 A large number of polymeric nanoparticles have been evaluated when applied in basic and clinical medical studies. Many of these particles were able to alter the distribution profiles of encapsulated drugs.…”