Effect of fractionation on treatment outcome in local dual-frequency sonication and Dox-encapsulated nanomicelles.

Abstract

The goal of this study was to localize drug release from nanomicelles using dual-frequency sonication at low levels of acoustic intensity. In this study, the antitumor effect of simultaneous dual-frequency sonication (28kHz and 3MHz) at low levels of acoustic intensity in combination with doxorubicin and micellar doxorubicin injection was assessed in a spontaneous model of breast adenocarcinoma in female Balb/c mice. Sixty-three tumor-bearing mice were randomly grouped into control, sham, dual-frequency sonication, doxorubicin injection with and without dual-frequency sonication, and micellar doxorubicin injection with and without dual-frequency sonication groups. The results of volume change relative to initial volume showed that in the micellar doxorubicin injection with sonication group, this parameter was significantly different from that of the control, sham, sonication, and doxorubicin injection groups (P<0.05). In addition, the volume began to increase on the 15th day after the start of treatment, which is a good indication to repeat treatment; therefore, another group received an extra treatment on day 15. The animal life span in the micellar doxorubicin with sonication and repeated treatment groups was significantly higher than that in all the other experimental groups except for the micellar doxorubicin injection group (P<0.05). It was concluded that dual-frequency sonication with micellar doxorubicin injection extends the life span relative to doxorubicin injection or dual-frequency sonication alone, and that repeating this treatment on day 15 decreases the rate of tumor growth significantly.