Superparamagnetic nanoparticle-inclusion microbubbles for ultrasound contrast agents.
We have developed a new type of ultrasound (US) contrast agent, consisting of a gas core, a layer of superparamagnetic iron oxide Fe(3)O(4) nanoparticles (SPIO) and an oil in water outermost layer. The newly developed US contrast agent microbubbles have a mean diameter of 760 nm with a polydisperity index (PI) of 0.699. Our in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that they have the following advantages compared to gas-encapsulated microbbubbles without SPIO inclusion: (1) they provide better contrast for US images; (2) the SPIO-inclusion microbubbles generate a higher backscattering signal; the mean grey scale is 97.9, which is 38.6 higher than that of microbubbles without SPIO; and (3) since SPIO can also serve as a contrast agent of magnetic resonance images (MRI) in vitro, they can be potentially used as contrast agents for double-modality (MRI and US) clinical studies.
Yang
Fang
F
State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Jiangsu Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, Peoples Republic of China. yangfang2080@yahoo.com.cn
Li
Ling
L
Li
Yixin
Y
Chen
Zhongping
Z
Wu
Junru
J
Gu
Ning
N
D000162:Acoustics; D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media; D004655:Emulsions; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D007089:Image Enhancement; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008280:Magnetics; D045423:Microbubbles; D053758:Nanoparticles; D009584:Nitrogen; D011091:Polyesters; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D011817:Rabbits; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*
D003287:Contrast Media; D004655:Emulsions; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D011091:Polyesters; C000499:ferric oxide; C033616:poly(lactide); D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D009584:Nitrogen