Adsorption and Desorption of a Phospholipid from Single Microbubbles under Pulsed Ultrasound Irradiation for Ultrasound-Triggered Drug Delivery.

Microbubbles have potential for applications as drug and gene delivery systems, in which the release of a substance is triggered by an ultrasonic pulse. In this paper, we discuss the adsorption and desorption of a film of phospholipid on the surface of a single microbubble under ultrasound irradiation. Our optical observation system consisted of a high-speed camera, a laser Doppler vibrometer, and an ultrasound cell; 1,2-dimyristoyl--glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) was used as the surfactant.