Current thrombolytic therapies for deep venous thrombosis are limited due to the wide side effect profile. Contrast mediated sonothrombolysis is a promising approach for thrombus treatment. The current study examines the effectiveness of in vitro streptokinase (SK) loaded phase-change nanodroplet (PCND) mediated sonothrombolysis at 7 MHz for the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis. Lecithin shell and perfluorohexane core nanodroplets were prepared via the thin-film hydration method and morphologically characterized. Sonothrombolysis was performed at 7 MHz at different mechanical indexes of samples i.e., only sonothrombolysis, PCND mediated sonothrombolysis, sonothrombolysis with SK and SK loaded PCND mediated sonothrombolysis. Thrombolysis efficacy was assessed by measuring clot weight changes during 30 min US exposure, recording the mean gray intensity from the US images of the clot by computer software ImageJ, and spectrophotometric quantification of the hemoglobin in the clot lysate. In 15 minutes of sonothrombolysis performed at high mechanical index (0.9 and 1.2), SK loaded PCNDs showed a 48.61% and 74.29% reduction of mean gray intensity. At 0.9 and 1.2 MI, 86% and 92% weight loss was noted for SK-loaded PCNDs in confidence with spectrophotometric results. A significant difference (P < 0.05) was noted for SK-loaded PCND mediated sonothrombolysis compared to other groups. Loading of SK inside the PCNDs enhanced the efficacy of sonothrombolysis. An increase in MI and time also increased the efficacy of sonothrombolysis. This in vitro study showed the potential use of SK-loaded perfluorohexane core PCNDs as sonothrombolytic agents for deep venous thrombosis.
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