A review of ultrasound-mediated microbubbles technology for cancer therapy: a vehicle for chemotherapeutic drug delivery

Abstract

Background:The unique behaviour of microbubbles under ultrasound acoustic pressure makes them useful agents for drug and gene delivery. Several studies have demonstrated the potential application of microbubbles as a non-invasive, safe and effective technique for targeted delivery of drugs and genes. The drugs can be incorporated into the microbubbles in several different approaches and then carried to the site of interest where it can be released by destruction of the microbubbles using ultrasound to achieve the required therapeutic effect.Methods:The objective of this article is to report on a review of the recent advances of ultrasound-mediated microbubbles as a vehicle for delivering drugs and genes and its potential application for the treatment of cancer.Conclusion:Ultrasound-mediated microbubble technology has the potential to significantly improve chemotherapy drug delivery to treatment sites with minimal side effects. Moreover, the technology can induce temporary and reversible changes in the permeability of cells and vessels, thereby allowing for drug delivery in a spatially localised region which can improve the efficiency of drugs with poor bioavailability due to their poor absorption, rapid metabolism and rapid systemic elimination.

Drug Delivery by Ultrasound-Responsive Nanocarriers for Cancer Treatment

“…Due to the physical characteristics of US and the cost effective, safe and non-invasive manner of its use [ 12 ], US is widely applied for either diagnostic imaging or therapeutic purposes (e.g., tumor tissue ablation [ 14 ], physiotherapy [ 15 ], kidney stone comminution [ 16 ]), or the combination of both (“Theranostics”)) [ 17 ].…”

“…In controlled release systems (smart drug delivery systems, SDDS), stimuli-responsive nanocarriers (e.g., responsive to ultrasound) are used that are able to release their payload on demand at the tumor tissue site, preventing premature drug loss. Ultrasound (US), which has been extensively applied in clinics for both diagnostic purposes and treatment, is considered as one of the promising triggers for stimuli-responsive drug delivery nanosystems due to its capability to non-invasively penetrate deeply into the tissue without damaging it [12]. Beyond efficacy considerations, toxicological aspects (biocompatibility) and safety issues play an important role in this context as well and are major barriers for the translation of this promising technology towards clinical application [13].…”

Enhancing cancer therapeutic efficacy through ultrasound‐mediated micro‐to‐nano conversion

“…They also confirmed that the shell properties of MBs are also strongly affected by the US intensity (Leong‐Poi et al, ). Indeed, the behavior of MBs in an acoustic filed is significantly influenced by the viscoelastic properties of the shell that are ultimately dependent on the composition and thickness of the shell (de Jong, Hoff, Skotland, & Bom, ; Osei & Al‐Asady, ).…”

Synthesis and physicochemical evaluation of fluorinated lipopeptide precursors of ligands for microbubble targeting

“…Various nano- and microsystems, including micelles, liposomes, and microbubbles, have been developed as imaging agents and to selectively deliver chemotherapeutics to tumor cells [ 1 – 6 ]. An increased specificity for tumor cells can be gained through ligand-mediated active targeting, which involves the use of targeting ligands, such as monoclonal antibodies, antibody fragments, proteins, peptides, and other small molecules, including vitamins and carbohydrates [ 7 – 8 ].…”