Microbubbles
are routinely used ultrasound contrast agents in the
clinic. While a soft protein shell is commercially preferable for
imaging purposes, a rigid polymer shell demonstrates prolonged agent
stability. Hence, combining polymers and proteins in one shell composition
can advance microbubble properties. We formulated the hybrid “protein–copolymer”
microbubble shell with a complex of bovine serum albumin and an amphiphilic
copolymer of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and acrylic acid.
The resulting microbubbles demonstrated advanced physicochemical and
acoustic properties, preserving in vitro biocompatibility.
Adjusting the mass ratio between protein and copolymer allowed fine
tuning of the microbubble properties of concentration (by two orders,
up to 1010 MBs/mL), mean size (from 0.8 to 5 μm),
and shell thickness (from 28 to 50 nm). In addition, the minimum air–liquid
surface tension for the “protein–copolymer” solution
enabled the highest bubble concentration. At the same time, a higher
copolymer amount in the bubble shell increased the bubble size and
tuned duration and intensity of the contrast during an ultrasound
procedure. Demonstrated results exemplify the potential of the hybrid
“protein–polymer” microbubble shell, allowing
tailoring of microbubble properties for image-guided applications,
combining advances of each material involved in the formulation.
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