No abstract

Pulsed ultrasound, when used as an adjuvant to recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA), has been shown to enhance thrombolysis in the laboratory as well as in clinical trials for the treatment of ischemic stroke. The exact mechanism of this enhancement has not yet been elucidated. In this work, stable and inertial cavitation (SC and IC) are investigated as possible mechanisms for this enhancement. A passive cavitation detection scheme was utilized to measure cavitation thresholds at 120 kHz (80% duty cycle, 1667 Hz pulse repetition frequency) for four host fluid and sample combinations: plasma, plasma with rt-PA, plasma with clot and plasma with clot and rt-PA. Following cavitation threshold determination, clots were exposed to pulsed ultrasound for 30 min in vitro using three separate ultrasound treatment regimes: (1) no cavitation (0.15 MPa), (2) SC alone (0.24 MPa) or (3) SC + IC combined (0.36 MPa) in the presence of rt-PA. Percent clot mass loss after each treatment was used to determine thrombolysis efficacy. The highest percent mass loss was observed in the stable cavitation regime (26%), followed by the combined stable and inertial cavitation regime (20.7%). Interestingly, the percent mass loss in clots exposed to ultrasound without cavitation (13.7%) was not statistically significantly different from rt-PA alone (13%) [p > 0.05]. Significant enhancement of thrombolysis correlates with presence of cavitation and stable cavitation appears to play a more important role in the enhancement of thrombolysis.

Ultrasound has been previously shown to act synergistically with a thrombolytic agent, such as recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) to accelerate thrombolysis. In this in vitro study, a commercial contrast agent, Definity ® , was used to promote and sustain the nucleation of cavitation during pulsed ultrasound exposure at 120 kHz. Ultraharmonic signals, broadband emissions, and harmonics of the fundamental were measured acoustically by using a focused hydrophone as a passive cavitation detector and utilized to quantify the level of cavitation activity. Human whole blood clots suspended in human plasma were exposed to a combination of rt-PA, Definity ® , and ultrasound at a range of ultrasound peak-to-peak pressure amplitudes, which were selected to expose clots to various degrees of cavitation activity. Thrombolytic efficacy was determined by measuring clot mass loss before and after the treatment and correlated with the degree of cavitation activity. The penetration depth of rt-PA and plasminogen was also evaluated in the presence of cavitating microbubbles using a dual antibody fluorescence imaging technique. The largest mass loss (26.2%) was observed for clots treated with 120 kHz ultrasound (0.32 MPa peak-to-peak pressure amplitude), rt-PA and stable cavitation nucleated by Definity ® . A significant correlation was observed between mass loss and ultraharmonic signals (r=0.8549, p<0.0001, n=24). The largest mean penetration depth of rt-PA (222 µm) and plasminogen (241 µm) was observed in the presence of stable cavitation activity. Stable cavitation activity plays an important role in enhancement of thrombolysis and can be monitored to evaluate the efficacy of thrombolytic treatment.

The use of ultrasound and microbubbles as an effective adjuvant to thrombolytics has been demonstrated in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo. However, the specific mechanisms of ultrasound-enhanced thrombolysis (UET) have yet to be elucidated. We present visual observations illustrating two mechanisms of UET: acoustic cavitation and radiation force. An in vitro flow model was developed to observe human whole blood clots exposed to human fresh-frozen plasma, rt-PA (0, 0.32, 1.58, or 3.15 μg/mL), and the ultrasound contrast agent Definity® (2 μL/mL). Intermittent, continuous-wave, ultrasound (120 kHz, 0.44 MPa peak-to-peak pressure) was used to insonify the perfusate. Ultraharmonic (UH) emissions indicative of stable cavitation were monitored with a passive cavitation detector. The clot was observed with an inverted microscope, and images were recorded with a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. The images were post processed to determine the time-dependent clot diameter and root-mean-square velocity of the clot position. Clot lysis occurred preferentially surrounding large, resonant-sized bubbles undergoing stable oscillations. UH emissions from stable cavitation were found to correlate with the lytic rate. Clots were observed to translate synchronously with the initiation and cessation of the ultrasound exposure. The root-mean-square velocity of the clot correlated with the lytic rate. These data provide visual documentation of stable cavitation activity and radiation force during sub-megahertz sonothrombolysis. The observations of this study suggest that the process of clot lysis is complex, and both stable cavitation and radiation force are mechanistically responsible for this beneficial bioeffect in this in vitro model.

Therapeutic ultrasound strategies that harness the mechanical activity of cavitation nuclei for beneficial tissue bio-effects are actively under development. The mechanical oscillations of circulating microbubbles, the most widely investigated cavitation nuclei, which may also encapsulate or shield a therapeutic agent in the bloodstream, trigger and promote localized uptake. Oscillating microbubbles can create stresses either on nearby tissue or in surrounding fluid to enhance drug penetration and efficacy in the brain, spinal cord, vasculature, immune system, biofilm or tumors. This review summarizes recent investigations that have elucidated interactions of ultrasound and cavitation nuclei with cells, the treatment of tumors, immunotherapy, the bloodÀbrain and bloodÀspinal cord barriers, sonothrombolysis, cardiovascular drug delivery and sonobactericide. In particular, an overview of salient ultrasound features, drug delivery vehicles, therapeutic transport routes and pre-clinical and clinical studies is provided. Successful implementation of ultrasound and cavitation nuclei-mediated drug delivery has the potential to change the way drugs are administered systemically, resulting in more effective therapeutics and less-invasive treatments.