Pulsatile Drug Delivery System Triggered by Acoustic Radiation Force

Sabrina Ciancia,Leonardo Ricotti,Arianna Menciassi,Andrea Cafarelli,Anna Zahoranova

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.00317

Abstract

Since biological systems exhibit a circadian rhythm (24-hour cycle), they are susceptible to the timing of drug administration. Indeed, several disorders require a therapy that synchronizes with the onset of symptoms. A targeted therapy with spatially and temporally precise controlled drug release can guarantee a considerable gain in terms of efficacy and safety of the treatment compared to traditional pharmacological methods, especially for chronotherapeutic disorders. This paper presents a proof of concept of an innovative pulsatile drug delivery system remotely triggered by the acoustic radiation force of ultrasound. The device consists of a case, in which a drug-loaded gel can be embedded, and a sliding top that can be moved on demand by the application of an acoustic stimulus, thus enabling drug release. Results demonstrate for the first time that ultrasound acoustic radiation force (up to 0.1 N) can be used for an efficient pulsatile drug delivery (up to 20 μg of drug released for each shot).

Highlights

Nowadays, interest in novel drug delivery technologies is increasing
We developed a device responsive to acoustic radiation force, in which a hydrogel embedded with the desired drug can be placed, without any need of chemical modifications
In this paper we present a proof of concept of a Pulsatile Drug Delivery Systems (PDDS) remotely triggered by the acoustic radiation force of US, which is largely unexplored in the field of drug release (Lum et al, 2006) as a trigger mechanism

Summary

Introduction

Interest in novel drug delivery technologies is increasing Innovation in this field would enable us to overcome the problems currently affecting conventional drug administration methods (e.g., oral, rectal, subcutaneous, intravenous or intramuscular ones). Targeted therapies aim to minimize side effects and may allow to release in situ a well-controlled quantity of drug, resulting in an improved therapeutic efficacy and a reduced systemic toxicity (Ricotti et al, 2015). In recent years, both spatially and temporally controlled drug delivery systems (DDS) have been developed. Controlled DDS are based on a relatively high sensitivity to endogenous chemico-physical conditions (e.g., changes in pH, enzyme concentration, or redox gradients)

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Conclusion