Ultrasound-mediated drug delivery with real-time cell permeability measurements

Abstract

Ultrasound-mediated drug and gene delivery offers a variety of exciting possibilities for improved localized treatment of vascular- and cancer-related diseases. This therapeutic application benefits from the use of the acoustic radiation force that facilitates the exposure for enhanced binding due to ligand-receptor interactions. The main merits of ultrasound lie in the transient increase of cell permeability without exposing the cell corpus to any detrimental and irreversible side-effects. Nonetheless, the related underlying molecular and cellular pathways of ultrasound-induced permeability and the subsequent recovery of cells have not been answered satisfactorily. Real-time studies of cell behavior during and past-ultrasound exposure have been obstructed by the lack of appropriate techniques. The Electric-Cell Impedance Sensing (ECIS) technique is an attractive way of studying cell permeability changes in real-time. Its nanoscale sensitivity and speedy acquisition of data allows for the accurate and timely monitoring of cell behavior. Our preliminary results suggest that cells recover within 24 - 36 hours post-exposure. During this time window the cells undergo drastic changes exhibiting an increased permeability of 2.4 ± 0.6 Ω·cm2 compared to 3.8 ± 0.5 Ω·cm2 that normal untreated cells exhibit. © 2013 Acoustical Society of America.