Special Collection: Molecular Imaging
Surface Modification with Lactadherin Augments the Attachment of Sonazoid Microbubbles to Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa
Arginine–glycine–aspartate (RGD)-carrying microbubbles (MBs) have been utilized as a specific contrast agent for glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (αIIbβ3 integrin)-expressing activated platelets in ultrasound molecular imaging. Recently, we found that surface modification with lactadherin provides the RGD motif on the surface of phosphatidylserine-containing clinically available MBs, Sonazoid. Here, we examined the potential of lactadherin-bearing Sonazoid MBs to be targeted MBs for glycoprotein IIb/IIIa using the custom-designed in vitro settings with recombinant αIIbβ3 integrin, activated platelets or erythrocyte-rich human clots.Effects of Acoustic Radiation Force on the Binding Efficiency of BR55, a VEGFR2-Specific Ultrasound Contrast Agent
This work describes an in vivo study analyzing the effect of acoustic radiation force (ARF) on the binding of BR55 VEGFR2-specific contrast-agent microbubbles in a model of prostatic adenocarcinoma in rat. A commercial ultrasound system was modified by implementing high duty-cycle 3.5-MHz center frequency ARF bursts in a scanning configuration. This enabled comparing the effects of ARF on binding in tumor and healthy tissue effectively in the same field of view. Bubble binding was established by measuring late-phase enhancement in amplitude modulation (AM) contrast-specific imaging mode (4 MHz, 150 kPa) 10 min after agent injection when the unbound bubbles were cleared from the circulation.
