Protein expression of mesenchymal stem cells after transfection of pcDNA3.1⁻-hVEGF₁₆₅ by ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction.

Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) has been proposed as a new technique for organ-specific gene transfer and drug delivery. This study was performed to investigate the effect of UTMD on marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transfected with pcDNA3.1⁻-hVEGF₁₆₅.pcDNA3.1⁻-hVEGF₁₆₅ were transfected into the third passage of MSCs, with or without UTMD under different ultrasound conditions. Protein expression was quantified by hVEGF₁₆₅-ELISA kit after transfection for 24, 48, and 72 hours. UTMD-mediated transfection of MSCs yielded a significant protein expression. UTMD of mechanic index (MI) 0.6 for 90 seconds led to the highest level of protein expression.