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Ultrasound-Mediated Release of Folate Targeted Liposomes
Al Ghafeer, Reda
Al Ghafeer, Reda
Description
A Master of Science thesis in Biomedical Engineering by Reda Al Ghafeer entitled, “Ultrasound-Mediated Release of Folate Targeted Liposomes”, submitted in November 2021. Thesis advisor is Dr. Ghaleb Husseini. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Completion Certificate, Approval Signatures, and AUS Archives Consent Form).
Abstract
Mutations in the DNA of cells have been causing malignancies for ages. Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases with no known cure. Current treatment regimens attempt to prolong the life of cancer patients and have proven successful for certain cancers. Current treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. The most abundant of which is chemotherapy, which unfortunately suffers from a major drawback of causing the systematic release of the chemotherapeutics. Targeted drug delivery is an emerging field that aims to tackle the problem of systematic release by ensuring minimal drug effects on non-cancerous cells. In this research, liposomes were chosen as a medium for drug transport along with a folic acid moiety and DOX as the loaded drug. Liposomes are stable, easy to produce, and nonimmunogenic. Folic acid (FA) was chosen as a targeting moiety since many types of cancerous cells show an abundance of FA receptors. Low-frequency ultrasound is used to release the drug from the liposomes. The advantage of using ultrasound is that it can enhance the permeation of both the liposome and the tumor, increasing the drug uptake. In this research, both control (non-targeted) and folated liposomes were synthesized and loaded with the chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin (DOX). The average size of the liposomes was 84.5 ± 1.09 nm for control and 84.8 ± 2.79 nm for the folated liposomes. Meanwhile, the Stewart assay showed a lipid content of 21.4 ± 5.45 mg/ml for the control, and 21.0 ± 6.29 mg/ml for the folates liposomes. Finally, the release of the drug under ultrasound steady release that only occurs during “on” ultrasound pulses meaning that ultrasound was the main reason of releasing the drug from the liposomes. The release results were found to best fit 3 models, which are zero-order, Hixson-Crowell, and Hopfenberg. Using folated liposomes in combination with ultrasound may mitigate the undesired side effects of conventional chemotherapy and maximize drug uptake at the tumor site.