Ultrasound contrast agent in intravascular echography: An in vitro study

ABSTRACTA new type of difolate targeting nano-level ultrasound contrast agent ((folate molecule, FOL)2-TUAs) was prepared, so as to investigate its targeted binding effect with human breast cancer mammary carcinoma cells (MCF-7) in vitro. L-2-aminoadipic acid (L-2-AD) as a branch unit was inserted at the hydroxyl end of distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DISP)-PEG2000-COOH to construct a tree structure. At this time, the free hydroxyl group in the distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DISP)-PEG2000-COOH structure modified the FOL with the help of N-Hydroxysuccinimide/N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (NHS/DCC). Each 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(polyethylene glycol)-2000] (DISP-PEG2000) connected two FOLs to generate difolate targeted nanomaterials. Nano laser particle size (PS) and Zeta potential analyzer (ZPA) were applied to analyze the physical characteristics of the material such as PS and dispersion, and the enhanced development effect in vitro was detected by the ultrasonic diagnostic instrument. Besides, the targeted binding ability of the contrast agent based on this material to folate receptor (FR) overexpressing MCF-7 cells was analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) and fluorescence microscope. In the experiment, hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) demonstrated that (FOL)2-TUAs was successfully synthesized. The surface of this material was round and uniformly distributed without aggregation. According to the relative number of FOL molecules, non-targeted nano-agent (U-TUA), monofolate targeted nano-agent (FOL-TUA), and difolate targeted nano-agent ((FOL)2-TUA) were obtained. The in vitro imaging showed that different materials exhibited enhanced imaging effects in ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. FCM and fluorescence microscopy both indicated that the difolate TUA could achieve a good binding to MCF-7 cells. Most of the nano-agents were attached to the cell membrane, surrounded by red fluorophore, namely increasing the FOL content of DISP-PEG2000 chain could enhance the targeted binding ability of tumor cells.

Download Full-text

Microextraction of Gadolinium MRI contrast agent using core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles: optimization of adsorption conditions and in-vitro study

Environmental Nanotechnology Monitoring & Management ◽

10.1016/j.enmm.2019.100250 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 100250

Author(s):

Matin Naghizadeh ◽

Mohammad Ali Taher ◽

Ali-Mohammad Tamaddon ◽

Sedigheh Borandeh ◽

Samira Sadat Abolmaali

Keyword(s):

Contrast Agent ◽

In Vitro Study ◽

Sio2 Nanoparticles ◽

Vitro Study ◽

Mri Contrast Agent ◽

Core Shell ◽

Mri Contrast

Download Full-text

In Vitro Evaluation of Ultrasound-Assisted Thrombolysis Using a Targeted Ultrasound Contrast Agent

Ultrasonic Imaging ◽

10.1177/016173460903100402 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 235-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Szu-Chia Chen ◽

Jia-Ling Ruan ◽

Po-Wen Cheng ◽

Yueh-Hsun Chuang ◽

Pai-Chi Li

Keyword(s):

Contrast Agent ◽

Weight Reduction ◽

Ultrasound Contrast Agent ◽

High Frequency Ultrasound ◽

Ultrasound Frequency ◽

Ultrasound Contrast ◽

Targeted Ultrasound ◽

Targeted Microbubbles ◽

Ultrasound Assisted

A thrombus-targeted ultrasound contrast agent bound with tirofiban — a glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa antagonist that can specifically bind to activated platelets in the thrombus — was designed to enhance both the image contrast and thrombolysis effect. In this study, we used 76 canine thrombi for investigation. The targeting ability to thrombi was confirmed by microphotography and high-frequency ultrasound (40 MHz) imaging. The effect of the targeted microbubbles on thrombolysis enhancement was investigated using an in vitro flow system: targeted and nontargeted microbubbles flowed through the clot for 30 seconds with a washing step; the microbubbles remained on the clot that were then cavitated by ultrasound (frequency = 1 MHz, MI = 1.2). The extent of thrombolysis was evaluated by weight reduction and histology analysis. The targeted microbubbles reduced the weight of thrombi by a factor of 1.7 times that of the nontargeted microbubbles. (clot weight reduction: 23.1 ± 5.3% versus 13.6 ± 4.9%, p < 0.01 between targeted and nontargeted group), and the signal enhancement was 3.34 ± 0.30 dB (mean ± SD, p < 0.01 compared to control). We conclude that targeted microbubbles are applicable not only for molecular imaging of thrombi but also for improving the effectiveness of ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis.

Download Full-text