title: Characterization of Bioeffects on Endothelial Cells under Acoustic Droplet Vaporization.
abstract: Gas embolotherapy is achieved by locally vaporizing microdroplets through acoustic droplet vaporization, which results in bubbles that are large enough to occlude blood flow directed to tumors. Endothelial cells, lining blood vessels, can be affected by these vaporization events, resulting in cell injury and cell death. An idealized monolayer of endothelial cells was subjected to acoustic droplet vaporization using a 3.5-MHz transducer and dodecafluoropentane droplets. Treatments included insonation pressures that varied from 2 to 8 MPa (rarefactional) and pulse lengths that varied from 4 to 16 input cycles. The bubble cloud generated was directly dependent on pressure, but not on pulse length. Cellular damage increased with increasing bubble cloud size, but was limited to the bubble cloud area. These results suggest that vaporization near the endothelium may impact the vessel wall, an effect that could be either deleterious or beneficial depending on the intended overall therapeutic application.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Robinson
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seda
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: J Brian
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fowlkes
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. Electronic address: joebull@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bull
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D016923:Cell Death; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D045423:Microbubbles; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014471:Umbilical Veins; D014835:Volatilization
keywords: Acoustic droplet vaporization; Bioeffects; Endothelial cells; Gas embolotherapy