Phospholipids-based microbubbles sonoporation pore size and reseal of cell membrane cultured in vitro.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate phospholipids-based microbubbles induced sonoporation and cell membrane reseal in vitro under various conditions.


METHODS
A breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3 was used to investigate ultrasonic sonoporation under various conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) scanning techniques were employed to observe the change of membrane pores.


RESULTS
Normal SK-BR-3 cells membrane pores were evenly distributed and less than 1 microm. After ultrasound exposure, membrane pores were enlarged at different degree depending on ultrasound exposure durations, filling gas species and microbubble suspension concentration. With microbubble suspension concentration being increased to 5% or ultrasound exposure reached 30 s, membrane pores in fluorocarbon (C(3)F(8) or SF(6))-filled microbubble groups exceeded 1 microm, which were significantly larger than that of air-filled microbubble group. Membrane pores were about 2-3 microm under ultrasound 60 s with 5% fluorocarbon-filled microbubble suspension. After 24 h of incubation, most of the enlarged membrane pores could reseal to normal size, which corresponded to cell viability.


CONCLUSIONS
Membrane pores can be obviously enlarged by ultrasonic sonoporation of fluorocarbon-filled microbubbles, whose reseal time depended on ultrasound exposure duration and microbubble suspension concentration.
Zhao
Ying-Zheng
YZ
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, General Hospital of Beijing Military Command of PLA, Dong Si Shi Tiao Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing, People's Republic of China. lctuua@yahoo.com.cn
Luo
Yu-Kun
YK
Lu
Cui-Tao
CT
Xu
Jing-Feng
JF
Tang
Jie
J
Zhang
Mei
M
Zhang
Yan
Y
Liang
Hai-Dong
HD
D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005740:Gases; D006801:Humans; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008863:Microspheres; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D011247:Pregnancy; D014465:Ultrasonics
D005740:Gases; D010743:Phospholipids