Study on sonodynamic effects of N2O-microbubbles

Objective To investigate the sonosensitivity of N2O-microbubbles (N2O-mbs) and its sonodynamic effect on tumor cells. Methods The N2O-mbs were prepared by improved mechanical oscillation method. The basic characteristics of N2O-mbs were determined. The cytotoxicity of these microbubbles was evaluated by CCK-8 assay. The delivery efficiency of N2O-mbs to MDA-MB-231 cells was observed under a laser scanning confocal microscope. The sonosensitivity of N2O-mbs was evaluated by singlet oxygen sensor green (SOSG) assay and reactive oxygen species assay kit, which detected its extracellular and intracellular reactive oxygen species generation. In vitro sonodynamic properties of N2O-mbs on tumor cells were evaluated by CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry and CAM/PI double staining. Results These N2O-mbs presented with homogenized size distribution and milky white suspensions after water reconstitution. The average diameter of N2O-mbs was (458.10±17.26) nm and its zeta potential was (–16.20±0.35) mV. N2O-mbs exhibited a go