Background: Micro bubbles were initially introduced as contrast agents for\r\nultrasound examinations as they are able to modify the signal-to-noise ratio in\r\nimaging, thus improving the assessment of clinical information on human tissue.\r\nRecent developments have demonstrated the feasibility of using these bubbles as\r\ndrug carriers in localized delivery. In micro fluidics devices for generation of micro\r\nbubbles, the bubbles are formed at interface of liquid gas through a strangulation\r\nprocess. A device that uses these features can produce micro bubbles with small size\r\ndispersion in a single step.\r\nMethods: A T-junction micro fluidic device constructed using 3D prototyping was\r\nmade for the production of mono dispersed micro bubbles. These micro bubbles\r\nuse sunflower oil as a lipid layer. Stability studies for micro bubbles with diameters\r\ndifferent generated from a liquid phase of the same viscosity were conducted to\r\nevaluate whether micro bubbles can be used as drug carriers. The biocompatibility\r\nof coating layer, the ability to withstand environmental pressure variations combined\r\nwith echogenicity, are key factors that they can safely play the role of drug\r\ntransporters.\r\nResults: The normal distribution curve with small dispersion of the diameter of\r\nbubbles validates the process of generating micro bubbles with low value of\r\nvariation coefficient, i.e., 0.381 at 1.90%. The results also showed the feasibility of\r\nusing sunflower oil as the lipid matrix with stable population of bubbles over\r\n217 minutes for micro bubbles with an average diameter of 313.04 �µm and\r\n121 minutes for micro bubbles with an average diameter of 73.74 �µm, considering\r\nbubbles with air as gaseous phase.\r\nConclusion: The results indicate that the micro fluidic device designed can be used\r\nfor producing micro bubbles with low variation coefficient using sunflower oil as a\r\ncoating of micro bubbles. These carriers were stable for periods of time that are long\r\nenough for clinical applications even when regular air is used as the gas phase.\r\nImproved stability can be achieved when biocompatible gas with lower permeability\r\nis used.
Loading....