Ultrasonic synthesis of stable, functional lysozyme microbubbles

Abstract

High-intensity ultrasound induces emulsification and cross-linking of protein molecules in aqueous medium. The stability and the functionality of the resultant protein-coated microbubbles are crucial in many of their applications. For example, the stability of drug-loaded microbubbles should be sufficiently long enough, in vivo, so that they can be ruptured only at specific sites for release of the drugs. In this study, we report the synthesis of stable and functional microbubbles, coated with chemically reduced lysozyme, using high-intensity ultrasound in aqueous solution. In the absence of chemical reduction, stable microbubbles were not produced with native lysozyme, indicating the import..