Plasmin-Loaded Echogenic Liposomes for Ultrasound-Mediated Thrombolysis

Destruction thresholds of echogenic liposomes with clinical diagnostic ultrasound.

Echogenic liposomes (ELIP) are submicron-sized phospholipid vesicles that contain both gas and fluid. With antibody conjugation and drug incorporation, these liposomes can be used as novel targeted diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound contrast agents. The utility of liposomes for contrast depends upon their stability in an acoustic field, whereas the use of liposomes for drug delivery requires...

Nitric oxide-loaded echogenic liposomes for treatment of vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage

Delayed cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage causes severe ischemic neurologic deficits leading to permanent neurologic dysfunction or death. Reduced intravascular and perivascular nitric oxide (NO) availability is a primary pathophysiology of cerebral vasospasm. In this study, we evaluated NO-loaded echogenic liposomes (NO-ELIP) for ultrasound-facilitated NO delivery to produce...

Destruction of Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rtPA) -Loaded Echogenic Liposomes under Dual Frequency Sonication

Background:Echogenic liposomes (ELIPs) encapsulate drugs and gas bubbles within lipid vesicles. The destruction of ELIPs in response to MHz and kHz ultrasound waves has been studied previously. Applying ultrasound above a certain threshold causes encapsulated gas bubbles destruct rapidly by fragmentation or more slowly by acoustically driven diffusion. This study compares the d...

Thrombolysis with plasmin: implications for stroke treatment.

Plasmin is a direct-acting thrombolytic agent with a striking hemostatic safety advantage over plasminogen activators in animal models of thrombolysis and bleeding. In contradistinction to plasminogen activators, which risk bleeding at any effective thrombolytic dose, plasmin is tolerated without bleeding at several-fold higher amounts than those needed for thrombolysis. Plasmin has been safe i...

Echogenic Liposomes for Nitric Oxide Delivery and Breast Cancer Treatment