The antitumor effect of a new docetaxel-loaded microbubble combined with low-frequency ultrasound in vitro: preparation and parameter analysis.

PURPOSE: To develop a novel docetaxel (DOC)-loaded lipid microbubbles (MBs) for achieving target therapy and overcoming the poor water-solubility drawback of DOC. METHODS: A novel DOC-loaded microbubble (DOC + MB) was prepared by lyophilization and the physicochemical properties including ultrasound contrast imaging of the liver were measured. The anti-tumor effect of the DOC + MBs combined with low-frequency ultrasound (LFUS; 0.8 Hz, 2.56 W/cm², 50% cycle duty) on the DLD-1 cancer cell line was examined using an MTT assay. RESULTS: The physicochemical properties of the two tested formats of DOC + MBs (1.0 mg and 1.6 mg) was shown: concentration, (6.74 ± 0.02) × 108 bubbles/mL and (8.27 ± 0.15) × 108 bubbles/mL; mean size, 3.296 ± 0.004 µm and 3.387 ± 0.005 µm; pH value, 6.67 ± 0.11 and 6.56 ± 0.05; release rate, 3.41% and 12.50%; Zeta potential, -37.95 ± 7.84 mV and -44.35 ± 8.70 mV; and encapsulation efficiency, 54.9 ± 6.21% and 46.3 ± 5.69%, respectively. Compared with SonoVue, the DOC + MBs similarly enhanced the echo signal of the liver imaging. The anti-tumor effect of the DOC + MBs/LFUS group was significantly better than that of DOC alone and that of the normal MBs/LFUS groups. CONCLUSIONS: The self-made DOC + MBs have potential as a new ultrasound contrast agent and drug-loaded microbubble, and can obviously enhance the antitumor effect of DOC under LFUS exposure.

Codon optimization enhances secretory expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A in E. coli.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (PEA) is a number of family of bacterial ADP-ribosylating toxins and possesses strong immunogenicity. The detoxified exotoxin A, as a potent vaccine adjuvant and vaccine carrier protein, has been extensively used in human and animal vaccinations. However, the expression level of PEA gene in Escherichia coli is relative low which is likely due to the presence of rare codon and high levels of GC content. In order to enhance PEA gene expression, we optimized PEA gene using E. coli preferred codons and expressed it in E. coli BL21 (DE3) by using pET-20b(+) secretory expression vector. Our results showed that codon optimization significantly reduced GC content and enhanced PEA gene expression (70% increase compared with that of the wild-type). Moreover, the codon-optimized PEA possessed biological activity and had the similar toxic effects on mouse L292 cells compared with the wild-type PEA gene. Codon optimization will not only improve PEA gene expression but also benefit further modification of PEA gene using nucleotide-mediated site-directed mutagenesis. A large number of purified PEA proteins will provide the necessary conditions for further PEA functional research and application.