Ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier opening: An effective drug delivery system for theranostics of brain diseases

Jieqiong Wang; Zhenzhou Li; Min Pan; Muhammad Fiaz; Yongsheng Hao; Yiran Yan; Litao Sun; Fei Yan

doi:10.1016/j.addr.2022.114539

Ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier opening: An effective drug delivery system for theranostics of brain diseases

Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2022 Nov:190:114539. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114539. Epub 2022 Sep 15.

Authors

Jieqiong Wang¹, Zhenzhou Li², Min Pan³, Muhammad Fiaz⁴, Yongsheng Hao⁵, Yiran Yan⁶, Litao Sun⁷, Fei Yan⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 201206, China.
² Department of Ultrasound, The Second People's Hospital of Shenzhen, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518061, China.
³ Shenzhen Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen 518034, China.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Azra Naheed Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan.
⁵ Center for Cell and Gene Circuit Design, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China.
⁶ Department of Orthopedics, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510282, China.
⁷ Cancer Center, Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, China. Electronic address: litaosun1971@sina.com.
⁸ Center for Cell and Gene Circuit Design, CAS Key Laboratory of Quantitative Engineering Biology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China. Electronic address: fei.yan@siat.ac.cn.

PMID: 36116720
DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114539

Abstract

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains a significant obstacle to drug therapy for brain diseases. Focused ultrasound (FUS) combined with microbubbles (MBs) can locally and transiently open the BBB, providing a potential strategy for drug delivery across the BBB into the brain. Nowadays, taking advantage of this technology, many therapeutic agents, such as antibodies, growth factors, and nanomedicine formulations, are intensively investigated across the BBB into specific brain regions for the treatment of various brain diseases. Several preliminary clinical trials also have demonstrated its safety and good tolerance in patients. This review gives an overview of the basic mechanisms, ultrasound contrast agents, evaluation or monitoring methods, and medical applications of FUS-mediated BBB opening in glioblastoma, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

Keywords: Blood-brain barrier; Cavitation; Drug delivery; Focused ultrasound; Theranostics; Ultrasound contrast agents.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Blood-Brain Barrier* / metabolism
Brain
Brain Diseases* / diagnostic imaging
Brain Diseases* / drug therapy
Brain Diseases* / metabolism
Contrast Media / metabolism
Drug Delivery Systems / methods
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
Microbubbles
Precision Medicine

Substances

Contrast Media