Doxorubicin-liposomes loaded microbubbles for ultrasound-triggered doxorubicin delivery

International audienceDoxorubicin (Dox) is a potent chemotherapeutic whose severe side effects limit its clinical efficacy. Microbubble-assisted ultrasound has become a promising strategy for non-invasive local drug delivery to increase the drug concentration locally and to reduce systemic side effects. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of administration of Dox-liposomes loaded on MB combined with ultrasound in human glioblastoma cells. Experiments were carried out with free Dox or Dox-loaded MBs on a cell suspension of U-87MG cells. Ultrasound waves were transmitted at 1MHz frequency with a pulse repetition period of 100µs, 40 cycles per pulse and for 30s. Cell viability was evaluated by Trypan blue assay 24h and 48h later. Using Dox alone, the cell viability was 63±3% and 26±2% at 24h and 48h later, respectively. The combination of ultrasound at 600 kPa and Dox-loaded MBs induced a 2.5-fold decrease of cell viability compared to the incubation of Dox-loaded MBs alone at 24h and 48h after treatment, respectively. At 24h, this combination was 3 times more efficient than the doxorubicin treatment alone. The conclusions drawn from this study show the potential of this strategy for a controlled, efficient, and safe drug delivery. Project funded by the EU Project SONODRUGS (NMP4-LA-2008-213706)