Ultrasound-mediated blood-brain barrier opening: An effective drug delivery system for theranostics of brain diseases

Authors：Wang, Jieqiong; Li, Zhenzhou; Pan, Min; Fiaz, Muhammad; Hao, Yongsheng; Yan, Yiran; Sun, Litao^*; Yan, Fei^*

Source：Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 2022, 190: 114539.

DOI：10.1016/j.addr.2022.114539

• Blood -brain barrier
• Ultrasound contrast agents
• Focused ultrasound
• Cavitation
• Drug delivery
• Theranostics

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains a significant obstacle to drug therapy for brain diseases. Focused ultra-sound (FUS) combined with microbubbles (MBs) can locally and transiently open the BBB, providing a potential strategy for drug delivery across the BBB into the brain. Nowadays, taking advantage of this technology, many therapeutic agents, such as antibodies, growth factors, and nanomedicine formula-tions, are intensively investigated across the BBB into specific brain regions for the treatment of various brain diseases. Several preliminary clinical trials also have demonstrated its safety and good tolerance in patients. This review gives an overview of the basic mechanisms, ultrasound contrast agents, evaluation or monitoring methods, and medical applications of FUS-mediated BBB opening in glioblastoma, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.

• Institution
  复旦大学; 广州中医药大学; 南方医科大学