Drug delivery to extravascular tissue by ultrasound-activated microbubbles

Drugs will be delivered to tissue more efficiently if the vascular endothelial permeability is increased. Although recent studies have established that the permeability of single-cell membranes is increased by ultrasound in combination with contrast agents, it is not known whether this combination can also increase the permeability of an endothelial layer. To investigate endothelial layer permeability, we treated monolayers of human umbilical vein endothelial cells with ultrasound and the contrast agent BR14. Endothelial layer permeability was assessed by measuring the transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and the transendothelial transport of fluorescein. Ultrasound in combination with BR14 significantly decreased TEER to 68.0 ± 3.1% of initial values and temporally increased endothelial permeability for fluorescein by 38.1 ± 16.4 %. After treatment, no cell loss or damage was observed. In conclusion, ultrasound in combination with BR14 increased the endothelial layer permeability. This feature may be used for future ultrasound-guided drug delivery systems.

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