Sonoporation at Small and Large Length Scales: Effect of Cavitation Bubble Collapse on Membranes.
Ultrasound has emerged as a promising means to effect controlled delivery of therapeutic agents through cell membranes. One possible mechanism that explains the enhanced permeability of lipid bilayers is the fast contraction of cavitation bubbles produced on the membrane surface, thereby generating large impulses, which, in turn, enhance the permeability of the bilayer to small molecules. In the present contribution, we investigate the collapse of bubbles of different diameters, using atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to calculate the force exerted on the membrane. The total impulse can be computed rigorously in numerical simulations, revealing a superlinear dependence of the impulse on the radius of the bubble. The collapse affects the structure of a nearby immobilized membrane, and leads to partial membrane invagination and increased water permeation. The results of the present study are envisioned to help optimize the use of ultrasound, notably for the delivery of drugs.
†Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), and Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Haohao
H
Fu
‡Laboratoire International Associé Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unité Mixte de Recherche n°7565, Université de Lorraine, B.P. 70239, 54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy cedex, France.|§Nanotechnology Innovation Center of Kansas State, Institute of Computational Comparative Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Kansas State University, P-213 Mosier Hall, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States.
Jeffrey
J
Comer
†Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), and Research Center for Analytical Sciences, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China.
Wensheng
W
Cai
‡Laboratoire International Associé Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Unité Mixte de Recherche n°7565, Université de Lorraine, B.P. 70239, 54506 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy cedex, France.|∥Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 405 North Mathews, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.|⊥Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.
Christophe
C
Chipot
D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry*; D045423:Microbubbles; D000069453:Ultrasonic Waves; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D014867:Water
atomistic and coarse-grained models; impulses; intracellular delivery of drugs and genes; nanobubble collapse; permeability of lipid bilayers; ultrasound