Impact of prostate permeability by sonoporation:an preliminary study

Abstract

Objective To prove the feasibility of opening up the blood-prostate barrier by microbubble mediated sonoporation.Methods Fifteen male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups:ultrasound(US)group,microbubble(MB)group,ultrasound and microbubble(US+MB)group.Ultrasound was insonated directly on the prostate.Fluorescence microscopy,stereoscopic microscopy and Evan's Blue(EB)extraction were applied to trace the changes of the permeability of the blood-prostate barrier under different conditions.Results The staining of EB could be found in the surrounding or central area Of the prostates in US+MB group,but EB stained only the capsule area in US group or MB group,not the gland parenchyma.Red fluorescence of EB was found in all of the groups.After stained with haematoxylin,red fluorescence remained both in fibromuscular tissues and gland cavities in the US+MB group,but not in the US group and the MB group.The average concentration of EB in the US+MB group[(10.385±0.790)μg/g]was significantly higher(P 0.05).Conclusions Microbubble mediated sonoporation can open up the blood-prostate barrier with an increased permeability of the prostate. Key words: Ultrasonics; Microbubbles; Prostate; Sonoporation