Ultrasound-mediated intracellular drug delivery using microbubbles and temperature-sensitive liposomes

A novel two-step protocol for intracellular drug delivery has been evaluated in vitro. As a first step TO-PRO-3 (a cell-impermeable dye that displays a strong fluorescence enhancement upon binding to nucleic acids) encapsulated in thermosensitive liposomes was released after heating to 42 °C. A second step consisted of ultrasound-mediated local permeabilization of cell membrane allowing TO-PRO-3 internalization observable as nuclear staining. Only the combination of two consecutive steps — heating and sonication in the presence of SonoVue microbubbles led to the model drug TO-PRO-3 release from the thermosensitive liposomes and its intracellular uptake. This protocol is potentially beneficial for the intracellular delivery of cell impermeable drugs that suffer from rapid clearance and/or degradation in blood and are not intrinsically taken up by cells.