UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Tailoring the size of ultrasound responsive lipid-shelled nanodroplets by varying production parameters and environmental conditions

Ferri, S; Wu, Q; De Grazia, A; Polydorou, A; May, JP; Stride, E; Evans, ND; (2021) Tailoring the size of ultrasound responsive lipid-shelled nanodroplets by varying production parameters and environmental conditions. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry , 73 , Article 105482. 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2021.105482. Green open access

[thumbnail of Carugo_1-s2.0-S1350417721000237-main2.pdf]
Preview
Text
Carugo_1-s2.0-S1350417721000237-main2.pdf - Published Version

Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

Liquid perfluorocarbon nanodroplets (NDs) are an attractive alternative to microbubbles (MBs) for ultrasound-mediated therapeutic and diagnostic applications. ND size and size distribution have a strong influence on their behaviour in vivo, including extravasation efficiency, circulation time, and response upon ultrasound stimulation. Thus, it is desirable to identify ways to tailor the ND size and size distribution during manufacturing. In this study phospholipid-coated NDs, comprising a perfluoro-n-pentane (PFP) core stabilised by a DSPC/PEG40s (1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and polyoxyethylene(40)stearate, 9:1 molar ratio) shell, were produced in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) by sonication. The effect of the following production-related parameters on ND size was investigated: PFP concentration, power and duration of sonication, and incorporation of a lipophilic fluorescent dye. ND stability was also assessed at both 4°C and 37°C. When a sonication pulse of 6 s and 15% duty cycle was employed, increasing the volumetric concentration of PFP from 5% to 15% v/v in PBS resulted in an increase in ND diameter from 215.8 ± 16.8 nm to 408.9 ± 171.2 nm. An increase in the intensity of sonication from 48 to 72 W (with 10% PFP v/v in PBS) led to a decrease in ND size from 354.6 ± 127.2 nm to 315.0 ± 100.5 nm. Increasing the sonication time from 20 s to 40 s (using a pulsed sonication with 30% duty cycle) did not result in a significant change in ND size (in the range 278 - 314 nm); however, when it was increased to 60 s, the average ND diameter reduced to 249.7 ± 9.7 nm, which also presented a significantly lower standard deviation compared to the other experimental conditions investigated (i.e., 9.7 nm vs. > 49.4 nm). The addition of the fluorescent dye DiI at different molar ratios did not affect the ND size distribution. NDs were stable at 4°C for up to 6 days and at 37°C for up to 110 min; however, some evidence of ND-to-MB phase transition was observed after 40 min at 37°C. Finally, phase transition of NDs into MBs was demonstrated using a tissue-mimicking flow phantom under therapeutic ultrasound exposure conditions (ultrasound frequency: 0.5 MHz, acoustic pressure: 2-4 MPa, and pulse repetition frequency: 100 Hz).

Type: Article
Title: Tailoring the size of ultrasound responsive lipid-shelled nanodroplets by varying production parameters and environmental conditions
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2021.105482
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2021.105482
Language: English
Additional information: This is an Open Access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: Perfluorocarbon nanodroplet, ultrasound, drug delivery, nanodroplet stability, microbubble, acoustic droplet vaporisation
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy > Pharmaceutics
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10120717
Downloads since deposit
64Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item