Microbubble Enhanced\nDelivery of Vitamin C for Treatment\nof Colorectal Cancer

During chemotherapy treatment for cancer, often only\na fraction\nof the administered dose reaches the tumor site, with the remaining\ndrug spreading throughout the body, producing unwanted side-effects\nand restricting how much drug can be safely administered. A potential\nsolution to reduce this problem is the use of microbubbles. The interaction\nbetween microbubbles and ultrasound generates pores in the tumor cells,\npermitting enhanced drug uptake. This study investigates the delivery\nof the ascorbic acid derivative, palmitoyl ascorbate, to KRAS-mutated\ncolorectal cancer cells in vitro. Ultrasound-triggered microbubbles\nenhanced the efficacy of liposomal palmitoyl ascorbate treatments\nby 1.7- and 2.2-fold in LS174T and HCT116 CRC cell lines, respectively.\nThis enhancement was achieved without increasing the drug dosage,\nand the therapeutic effect was shown to be localized to the area that\nreceived the ultrasound pulse, aiding in the reduction of off-site\ntoxicity.