Stabilized nanobubbles and microbubbles for diagnostic and therapeutic applications
AssigneesCase Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
InventorsAgata Exner, Al de Leon, Reshani Perera, Pinunta Nittayacharn
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Abstract
A composition includes a plurality of stabilized nanobubbles and/or microbubbles. Each nanobubble and/or microbubble has a lipid membrane that defines at least one internal void, which includes at least one gas, the membrane including a plurality of lipids, an edge-activator, which is incorporated between lipids of the membrane and enhances the flexibility of the nanobubbles and/or microbubbles, and a membrane stiffener, which is incorporated on an outer surface of the membrane and enhances the membranes resistance to tearing.
Claims11
A composition comprising:
- a plurality of stabilized nanobubbles, each nanobubble having a lipid membrane that defines at least one internal void, which includes at least one gas, the membrane of each nanobubble consisting essentially of a plurality of lipids, which are a mixture of dibehenoylglycerophosphocoline (DBPC), dipalmitoylphosphatidic acid (DPPA), dipalmitoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DPPE), and PEG functionalized distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE);
- propylene glycol that is incorporated between lipids of the membrane;
- and glycerol that is incorporated on an outer surface of the membrane, wherein the nanobubbles have an average diameter of about 30 nm to about 600 nm, the propylene glycol is the only cosurfactant or surfactant incorporated in the membrane besides the plurality of lipids, and the stabilized nanobubbles have a lipid concentration of at least 5 mg/ml.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.