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Published on: June 12, 2021
Tunable diacetylene polymerized shell microbubbles as ultrasound contrast agents
Yoonjee Park1, Adam C Luce, Ragnhild D Whitaker
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|January 21, 2012
Summary
New polymerized shell microbubbles offer enhanced stability for ultrasound contrast agents. These novel microbubbles demonstrate superior resistance to aggregation and gas dissolution, improving diagnostic imaging capabilities.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Ultrasound contrast agents enhance diagnostic imaging by improving echogenicity.
- Existing microbubbles face challenges with stability, aggregation, and gas dissolution under physiological conditions.
- Photopolymerizable lipid shells offer a potential route to improved microbubble stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize novel microbubbles with photopolymerized shells for ultrasound contrast applications.
- To evaluate the stability (aggregation, gas dissolution) and acoustic performance of these microbubbles.
- To compare the performance of the novel microbubbles against non-polymerized and commercial alternatives.
Main Methods:
- Microfluidic flow focusing was used to produce monodisperse gas microbubbles.
- Microbubbles were encapsulated with photopolymerizable diacetylene lipids and phospholipids.
- Stability was assessed under physiological conditions, including aggregation and gas dissolution.
- Acoustic stability was tested under 7.5 MHz ultrasound insonation.
- The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) chain length (5000 vs. 2000) on aggregation was investigated.
Main Results:
- Polymerized shell microbubbles exhibited enhanced stability against aggregation and gas dissolution compared to non-polymerized and commercial microbubbles.
- Polyethylene glycol (PEG) 5000 provided greater steric hindrance against aggregation than PEG 2000, as predicted.
- The microbubbles demonstrated superior shell-resistance and acoustic stability under ultrasound.
- Acoustic stability was tunable by adjusting the concentration of diacetylene lipid in the shell.
Conclusions:
- Photopolymerized shell microbubbles represent a promising platform for advanced ultrasound contrast agents.
- The enhanced stability and tunable acoustic properties offer significant advantages for diagnostic imaging.
- These microbubbles show potential for improved performance in various clinical ultrasound applications.
