Production of Stable Monodisperse Phospholipid-coated Microbubbles at Room Temperature Using a Microfluidic...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Acoustics

Background:

• Monodisperse microbubbles are crucial for advanced ultrasound contrast agents in imaging and therapy.
• Current microfluidic production methods often require high temperatures, complicating device design and agent compatibility.
• Preventing microbubble coalescence during production is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a room-temperature protocol for producing stable, monodisperse phospholipid-coated microbubbles.
• To fabricate reusable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chips for microbubble generation.
• To assess the stability and monodispersity of microbubbles produced at ambient temperatures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a microfluidic flow-focusing technique at room temperature.
• Prepared a phospholipid coating formulation including the surfactant Pluronic F68.
• Fabricated reusable PDMS microfluidic chips for controlled microbubble production.

Main Results:

• Achieved production of monodisperse phospholipid-coated microbubbles at room temperature.
• Demonstrated sustained microbubble size and stability for at least 7 days.
• Confirmed the efficacy of the room-temperature protocol in overcoming coalescence issues.

Conclusions:

• The developed protocol enables the production of stable, monodisperse microbubbles at room temperature, suitable for ultrasound applications.
• This method simplifies microfluidic device design and broadens compatibility with sensitive agents.
• The findings support the clinical applicability of these microbubbles as reliable ultrasound contrast agents.