The blood–brain barrier (BBB) represents a major obstacle to the delivery of drugs to the central nervous system. The combined use of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound waves and intravascular microbubbles (MB) represents a promising solution to this issue, allowing reversible disruption of the barrier.
Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta researchers teamwork, in collaboration with INRiM, evaluates in the study “Ultrasounds induce blood–brain barrier opening across a sonolucent polyolefin plate in an in vitro isolated brain preparation”, published in Nature Scientific Reports, the feasibility of BBB opening through a biocompatible, polyolefin-based plate in an in vitro whole brain model.
Twelve in vitro guinea pig brains were employed; brains were insonated using a INRiM made planar transducer with or without interposing the polyolefin plate during arterial infusion of MB. Circulating MBs were visualized with an ultrasonographic device with a linear probe. BBB permeabilization was assessed by quantifying at confocal microscopy the extravasation of FITC-albumin perfused after each treatment. US-treated brains displayed BBB permeabilization exclusively in the volume under the US beam; no significant differences were observed between brains insonated with or without the polyolefin plate.
To learn more about the experiment, read the full article.