Ultrasound-mediated destruction of microbubbles directs gene delivery to ischemic myocardium of rabbits / 中华超声影像学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the feasibility of gene delivery to the ischemic myocardium of rabbits by ultrasound-mediated destruction of microbubbles. Methods A ligation model of left circumflex branch coronary artery was established in 48 rabbits. Three days after ligation, the mixture of gene and microbubbles was infused into the vein of rabbits with or without simultaneous ultrasound. Additional controls included ultrasound of microbubbles that did not contain gene, gene alone, gene plus ultrasound,and blank control. Rabbits were killed after two weeks and examined for the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF). Results The hearts of five rabbits that underwent ultrasound-mediated destruction of microbubbles containing gene showed VEGF expression in ischemic myocardium.None of the control animals showed VEGF expression. Conclusions Ultrasound-mediated destruction of microbubbles is a promising method for the delivery of bioactive agents to the heart.