서강대학교

초록/요약

Microbubbles, small bubbles about several micrometers in size, are well-known contrast agent for ultrasound image. Also, many recent researches have investigated microbubbles as a drug carriers. However, short half-life of microbubble and difficulty of surface modification for active targeting are two main limitations in diagnosis and therapy using microbubbles. Exosomes, one of the extracellular vesicles released by most types of cells, are emerging nanoparticles in various drug delivery system. In this study, we developed exosome fused microbubbles (Exo-MBs) to overcome the limitations of current microbubbles. Exosomes are sonicated and mixed with biocompatible phospholipids. After injection of perfluorocarbon gas, solution is vigorously shaken to form Exo-MBs. The membrane lipids and proteins of exosome are successfully embedded into microbubbles. The results showed that the stability of Exo-MBs has been improved under both storage condition and ultrasound irradiation by a stable exosome membrane. Moreover, Exo-MBs showed high specific cell targeting ability and high intracellular uptake efficiency given by exosome. In conclusion, we developed novel particle for diagnosis and drug delivery system that enables longer diagnosis and higher cell specific drug delivery with exosome fused microbubbles.