Ultrasound microbubble contrast agents: application to therapy for peripheral vascular disease

Adv Ther. 2009 Apr;26(4):425-34. doi: 10.1007/s12325-009-0020-y. Epub 2009 Apr 16.

Abstract

Ultrasound contrast agents are not only effective in ultrasonic imaging but are also important tools for drug or gene delivery. Ultrasound beams can disrupt microbubbles and cell membranes, offering the opportunity to locally deliver drugs or genes. Liposome-shelled microbubbles have many advantages and are widely used in many applications, while Lipofectamine (Invitrogen, Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA, USA), as a material of microbubble membranes, has been used to enhance the effects of gene delivery. Ultrasound contrast agents that have therapeutic effects can be used for treating peripheral vascular diseases, particularly in thrombotic and angiogenic diseases. A combination of targeted contrast agent and drug-carrying contrast agent may be safer and more effective in treating thrombosis. Vascular endothelial growth factor-loaded microbubbles are expected to treat a variety of neovascular diseases such as severe limb ischemia and other diseases. Although there are several limitations in the application of therapeutic ultrasound microbubble contrast agents, it will offer a new hope for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Albumins / therapeutic use
  • Chemistry, Pharmaceutical
  • Contrast Media / chemistry
  • Contrast Media / therapeutic use*
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods
  • Drug Delivery Systems / trends
  • Fluorocarbons / therapeutic use
  • Gene Transfer Techniques / trends
  • Humans
  • Indicators and Reagents / therapeutic use
  • Lipids / therapeutic use
  • Microbubbles*
  • Peripheral Vascular Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Peripheral Vascular Diseases / therapy*
  • Phospholipids / therapeutic use
  • Polysaccharides / therapeutic use
  • Safety
  • Sulfur Hexafluoride / therapeutic use
  • Ultrasonic Therapy / methods*
  • Ultrasonic Therapy / trends
  • Ultrasonography / methods
  • Ultrasonography / trends
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Albumins
  • Albunex
  • Contrast Media
  • FS 069
  • Fluorocarbons
  • Indicators and Reagents
  • Lipids
  • Lipofectamine
  • Phospholipids
  • Polysaccharides
  • Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
  • contrast agent BR1
  • SHU 508
  • Sulfur Hexafluoride