Monodisperse microbubbles as drug carrier units having the olive oil as the coating layer from devices manufactured by 3D printing

Abstract

The use of micro bubbles as auxiliary units in the diagnosis of diseases began in the 1980s, when they were used to increase the contrast of ultrasound images in echocardiographic examinations.1–3 Microbubbles are small microspheres loaded with a specific gas that have specific acoustic properties, which make them very useful as ultra-sonographic contrast agents for diagnostic imaging (Figure 1). Micro bubbles as carriers of pharmacologically active compounds represent one of the most promising frontiers of modern medicine having great potential to revolutionize disease treatment, specifically where the high concentration of drugs administered systematically causes undesirable side effects to the patient. Currently, many researches on this subject are underway, seeking to improve micro bubble production techniques by looking for new biocompatible coating matrices.4–10 and at the same time satisfies the prerequisites of stability and ability to withstand the aggressions of the environment in which they will be dispersed. The feasibility of this new modality of treatment involves the development of techniques of manufacture of generators, accessible and, at the same time, able to generate uniform and stable micro bubbles with sizes compatible with clinical applications, i.e. with diameters of the order of 10μm (approximate size of a red blood cell).