Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University (MRSPTU), Bathinda, Punjab 151001, India.
Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Curr Pharm Des. 2023;29(44):3532-3545. doi: 10.2174/0113816128282478231219044000.
Over the past ten years, tremendous progress has been made in microbubble-based research for a variety of biological applications. Microbubbles emerged as a compelling and dynamic tool in modern drug delivery systems. They are employed to deliver drugs or genes to targeted regions of interest, and then ultrasound is used to burst the microbubbles, causing site-specific delivery of the bioactive materials.
The objective of this article is to review the microbubble compositions and physiochemical characteristics in relation to the development of innovative biomedical applications, with a focus on molecular imaging and targeted drug/gene delivery.
The microbubbles are prepared by using various methods, which include cross-linking polymerization, emulsion solvent evaporation, atomization, and reconstitution. In cross-linking polymerization, a fine foam of the polymer is formed, which serves as a bubble coating agent and colloidal stabilizer, resulting from the vigorous stirring of a polymeric solution. In the case of emulsion solvent evaporation, there are two solutions utilized in the production of microbubbles. In atomization and reconstitution, porous spheres are created by atomising a surfactant solution into a hot gas. They are encapsulated in primary modifier gas. After the addition of the second gas or gas osmotic agent, the package is placed into a vial and sealed after reconstituting with sterile saline solution.
Microbubble-based drug delivery is an innovative approach in the field of drug delivery that utilizes microbubbles, which are tiny gas-filled bubbles, act as carriers for therapeutic agents. These microbubbles can be loaded with drugs, imaging agents, or genes and then guided to specific target sites.
The potential utility of microbubbles in biomedical applications is continually growing as novel formulations and methods. The versatility of microbubbles allows for customization, tailoring the delivery system to various medical applications, including cancer therapy, cardiovascular treatments, and gene therapy.
在过去的十年中,基于微泡的研究在各种生物应用方面取得了巨大进展。微泡作为一种有吸引力和动态的工具出现在现代药物输送系统中。它们被用于将药物或基因递送到感兴趣的目标区域,然后使用超声波将微泡破裂,导致生物活性物质的特异性递送。
本文的目的是综述与创新的生物医学应用相关的微泡组成和物理化学特性,重点是分子成像和靶向药物/基因递送。
微泡通过各种方法制备,包括交联聚合、乳液溶剂蒸发、雾化和再形成。在交联聚合中,聚合物的细泡沫形成,充当气泡涂层剂和胶体稳定剂,这是由于聚合物溶液的剧烈搅拌。在乳液溶剂蒸发的情况下,有两种溶液用于生产微泡。在雾化和再形成中,通过将表面活性剂溶液雾化成热气体来创建多孔球体。它们被初级修饰气体封装。在添加第二种气体或气体渗透剂后,将封装体放入小瓶中,并在与无菌生理盐水再形成后密封。
基于微泡的药物输送是药物输送领域的一种创新方法,它利用微泡作为治疗剂的载体。这些微泡可以装载药物、成像剂或基因,然后引导到特定的靶位。
随着新型制剂和方法的不断出现,微泡在生物医学应用中的潜在用途不断增加。微泡的多功能性允许定制,使输送系统适应各种医疗应用,包括癌症治疗、心血管治疗和基因治疗。