A low-cost intracellular delivery system based on microbubble and high gravity field

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Intracellular delivery of biomolecules into challenging cell types remains a significant hurdle in biological research and therapeutic development.
• Existing methods often suffer from low efficiency, high cost, or potential toxicity.
• THP-1 cells are known for their resistance to conventional uptake mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, cost-effective, and efficient system for intracellular delivery.
• To investigate the efficacy of microbubble-mediated delivery under a high gravity field.
• To optimize delivery parameters for hard-to-deliver cell lines like THP-1.

Main Methods:

• Development of a low-cost intracellular delivery system utilizing microbubbles and a high gravity field (centrifugation).
• Delivery of FITC-Dextran (40 kD) into THP-1 cells.
• Analysis of delivery efficiency and cell viability in relation to centrifuge speed.

Main Results:

• Successful delivery of FITC-Dextran into THP-1 cells with high efficiency, reaching up to 80%.
• Delivery efficiency and cell viability were found to be dependent on the applied centrifuge speed.
• Microbubble cavitation induced by high gravity is hypothesized to create transient pores for molecule entry.

Conclusions:

• The microbubble and high gravity system offers a fast, low-cost, and user-friendly protocol for intracellular delivery.
• This method shows significant promise for delivering therapeutic genes and drugs into cells with poor uptake.
• The technique is primarily suited for in-vitro applications, with potential for subsequent in-vivo use after cell transplantation for imaging.