Download Ultrasound-mediated leakage from DMPC-cholesterol model membrane Stephanie Alyssa Toth

Ultrasound-mediated leakage from DMPC-cholesterol model membrane
Stephanie Alyssa Toth
Advisor: Dr. Steven Wrenn
The application of ultrasound for targeted drug delivery offers a convenient,
universal, and affordable method for drug delivery. Targeted drug delivery through the
use of lipid vesicles coupled with ultrasound is beneficial for the treatment of diseases
because it reduces the amount of effective dosage necessary and toxic side effects
compared to traditional systemic treatments. Ultrasound-mediated leakage from model
membranes occurs when the lipid vesicles are exposed to low ultrasound frequencies of
approximately 20 kHz which causes transient cavitation of gaseous voids in the sample.
This work investigated a binary, DMPC-cholesterol, model membrane to study the
effects of lipid composition and lipid phase behavior on vesicle leakage by ultrasound. A
self-quenching dye, calcein, was encapsulated within the aqueous core of lipid vesicles.
These vesicles were exposed to ultrasound at a frequency of 20 kHz via a probe tip
transducer in small intervals with resting time. Steady state fluorescence spectroscopy
was used to quantify the dye leakage resultant from the exposure to ultrasound.
Leakage profiles obtained indicate that different mole fractions of cholesterol have
different effects on the membrane’s ability to resist leakage by ultrasound.