Abstract
The aim of this research was to measure and model the kinetics of acoustic release and subsequent re-encapsulation of Doxorubicin (DOX) from Pluronic P105 micelles. A fluorescence detection ultrasound exposure chamber was used. Experimental data showed that no significant release was observed when DOX loaded in Pluronic P105 micelles was exposed to ultrasound for less than 0.1 s at a power density of 58 mW/cm2 and a frequency of 20 kHz. Above this threshold, the amount of release was shown to increase as the pulse length increased up to 0.6 s. The same experiments showed that it requires at least 0.1 s of no ultrasound for measurable re-encapsulation to occur. Release and re-encapsulation are completed within about 0.6 s of the beginning of the ON and OFF phases of pulsed ultrasound. Several physical models and their corresponding mathematical solutions were analyzed to see which most closely fit the data. The model of zero-order release with first-order re-encapsulation appears to represent data from this polymeric system better than other models. This technique has possible applications in site-specific chemotherapy.
