In Vitro Evaluation of Ultrasound Effectiveness in Controlling Doxorubicin Release from Albumin-Conjugated Liposomes

Abstract

Functionalized liposomes are among the most promising antineoplastic agents delivery vehicles. Contemporaneous to their accretion at the tumor site, they need to be potentiated to release their cargo using a suitable triggering modality. In this work, targeted Doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded stealth liposomes were synthesized and functionalized with Human Serum Albumin (HSA) to target the overexpressed HSA receptors (HSA-Rs). The effects of low-frequency ultrasound (LFUS) in inducing DOX release from the synthesized liposomes were investigated In Vitro. DOX release increased with the increasing power density of ultrasound. HSA conjugation to the liposomes increased their sensitivity to LFUS. Furthermore, HSA conjugation also enhanced the liposome’s cytotoxic activity and uptake by the cancer cells overexpressing HSA-Rs. This cytotoxic activity and cellular uptake were further enhanced by triggering drug release from those targeted liposomes using LFUS. Combining HSA-targeted liposomes with LFUS is a promising approach in drug delivery.

Enhancing Curcumin’s therapeutic potential in cancer treatment through ultrasound mediated liposomal delivery

“…There was an immediate steep increase in curcumin release (27 ± 2.5%) upon US treatment compared to the non-sonicated group that showed no immediate release. This unequivocally affirms our study’s validation that ultrasound effectively induces the release of curcumin from liposomes, consistent with analogous observations reported for other liposomes, including Doxorubicin liposomes 56 .…”

“…6 ). Ultrasound treatment with microbubbles was found to increase the cytotoxic effect of liposomal formulations toward the cell line, possibly due to the enhanced permeability of cellular and liposomal membranes, which can potentially result in high uptake of encapsulated therapeutic agents 35 , 56 . Comparable investigations have also observed enhanced uptake and release of Doxorubicin and other chemotherapy agents with ultrasound in the presence of microbubbles 67 – 69 .…”

Exploring the Potential of High-Frequency Ultrasound to Enhance Liposomal Curcumin Delivery to HCC 1954 Breast Cancer Cells: A Promising Strategy for Harnessing the Therapeutic Potential of Curcumin in Cancer Treatment

“…In particular, the data indicated that after subjecting it to 10 seconds of sonication, approximately 40% of curcumin was released within a 120-minute timeframe, while the control CLs exhibited a release of only about 13%. This unequivocally affirms our study's validation that ultrasound effectively induces the release of curcumin from liposomes, consistent with analogous observations reported for other liposomes, including Doxorubicin liposomes 49 .…”

“…6). Ultrasound treatment with microbubbles was found to increase the cytotoxic effect of liposomal formulations toward the cell line, possibly due to the enhanced permeability of cellular and liposomal membranes, which can potentially result in high uptake of encapsulated therapeutic agents 34,49 . Comparable investigations have also observed enhanced uptake and release of Doxorubicin and other chemotherapy agents with ultrasound in the presence of microbubbles [60][61][62] .…”