Effects of microbubbles on ultrasound-mediated gene transfer in human prostate cancer PC3 cells: Comparison among Levovist, YM454, and MRX-815H

We compared the enhancement effects of three different echo contrast agents (ECAs); Levovist, YM454, and MRX-815H as artificial microbubbles on ultrasound mediated gene transfection (USMGT) with 1 MHz ultrasound at 0.2 MPa using a luciferase expression vector in PC3 cells and elucidated the mechanisms of differences of USMGT facilitation by these ECAs. At a concentration of each ECA that induced iso-survival, ECAs with lipid shell (YM454 and MRX-815H) facilitated USMGT higher than those without shell (Levovist), and the order of the ECAs facilitating free radical formation by sonication was; YM454 > MRX-815H > Levovist. These results suggested that the lipid shell type ECAs facilitated gene transfer higher than that by the non-shell type ECA.