Delivery of Colloidal Particles and Red Blood Cells to Tissue Through Microvessel Ruptures Created by Targeted Microbubble Destruction With Ultrasound

• DOI: 10.1161/01.cir.98.13.1264
• Publication Date: 2012-06-12T00:41:02Z
• Authors: Richard J. Price; Danny M. Skyba; Sanjiv Kaul; Thomas C. Skalak
• Keywords: Microvessel; Intravital microscopy

Background —We have previously shown that the application of ultrasound to thin-shelled microbubbles flowing through small microvessels (<7 μm in diameter) produces vessel wall ruptures vivo. Because many intravascular drug- and gene-delivery vehicles are limited by endothelial barrier, we hypothesized this phenomenon could be used deliver drug-bearing tissue. Methods Results —An exteriorized rat spinotrapezius muscle preparation was used. Intravascular fluorescent red blood cells polymer microspheres (PM) (205 503 nm were delivered interstitium skeletal microvessel created insonifying On intravital microscopy, mean dispersion areas per rupture for cells, 503-nm PM, 205-nm PM 14.5×10 3 2 , 24.2×10 27.2×10 respectively. significantly larger than area ( P <0.05). Conclusions —Microvessel caused insonification vivo may provide a minimally invasive means delivering colloidal particles engineered across lining targeted tissue region.