Article ; Online: A multi-pulse ultrasound technique for imaging of thick-shelled microbubbles demonstrated in vitro and in vivo.
2022 Volume 17, Issue 11, Page(s) e0276292
Abstract: Contrast enhanced ultrasound is a powerful diagnostic tool and ultrasound contrast media are based on microbubbles (MBs). The use of MBs in drug delivery applications and molecular imaging is a relatively new field of research which has gained ... ...
Abstract | Contrast enhanced ultrasound is a powerful diagnostic tool and ultrasound contrast media are based on microbubbles (MBs). The use of MBs in drug delivery applications and molecular imaging is a relatively new field of research which has gained significant interest during the last decade. MBs available for clinical use are fragile with short circulation half-lives due to the use of a thin encapsulating shell for stabilization of the gas core. Thick-shelled MBs can have improved circulation half-lives, incorporate larger amounts of drugs for enhanced drug delivery or facilitate targeting for use in molecular ultrasound imaging. However, methods for robust imaging of thick-shelled MBs are currently not available. We propose a simple multi-pulse imaging technique which is able to visualize thick-shelled polymeric MBs with a superior contrast-to-tissue ratio (CTR) compared to commercially available harmonic techniques. The method is implemented on a high-end ultrasound scanner and in-vitro imaging in a tissue mimicking flow phantom results in a CTR of up to 23 dB. A proof-of-concept study of molecular ultrasound imaging in a soft tissue inflammation model in rabbit is then presented where the new imaging technique showed an enhanced accumulation of targeted MBs in the inflamed tissue region compared to non-targeted MBs and a mean CTR of 13.3 dB for stationary MBs. The presence of fluorescently labelled MBs was verified by confocal microscopy imaging of tissue sections post-mortem. |
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MeSH term(s) | Animals ; Rabbits ; Microbubbles ; Ultrasonography/methods ; Contrast Media ; Phantoms, Imaging ; Drug Delivery Systems/methods |
Chemical Substances | Contrast Media |
Language | English |
Publishing date | 2022-11-03 |
Publishing country | United States |
Document type | Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
ZDB-ID | 2267670-3 |
ISSN | 1932-6203 ; 1932-6203 |
ISSN (online) | 1932-6203 |
ISSN | 1932-6203 |
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0276292 |
Database | MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE |
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