Puerarin-loaded ultrasound microbubble contrast agent used as sonodynamic therapy for diabetic cardiomyopathy rats

In this study, a puerarin-loaded ultrasound sulfur hexafluoride microbubble contrast agent as a sonodynamic therapy (SDT) was developed to improve targeted drug delivery and pharmacodynamic effects in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) treatment. Fluorescence microscope morphology was applied to confirm the fabrication of the puerarin - microbubbles (PMBs). The average size distribution and zeta potential of PMBs were 760.0 ± 101.2 nm and -20.4 ± 6.59 mV, respectively. In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to study the pharmacodynamic effects and targeted drug delivery of PMBs. The cytotoxicity, assessed by the cell viability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), showed that the microbubbles were nontoxic even in high concentration of 2.500 mg/mL, and the wound healing scratch assay proved that PMBs cloud obviously improve the migration ability of HUVECs. Furthermore, streptozotocin (STZ) accompanied with high-energy diets was employed to build the DCM rat model. The blood glucose, histological changes of the pancreas and heart, and cardiac function were used to confirm the obtainment of the DCM rat model. Histological and physiological changes of the PMBs treatment group indicated that PMBs had a significant therapeutic efficacy when compared to the DCM model group. Therefore, PMBs are a promising strategy for a targeted drug delivery system and a novel noninvasive treatment for DCM.