Fluorocarbon Nanoemulsion Composition for Stable Small Microbubbles
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Solution Overview
Problem
The limitations of using long-chain fluoroalkylated surfactants and phospholipids for stabilizing fluorocarbon nanoemulsions include toxicity, environmental concerns, and the inability to form stable microbubbles of appropriate size for biomedical applications, leading to issues like pulmonary embolism and limited intravascular persistence.
Innovation Solution
The use of oligo(ethylene oxide) dendritic molecules, which are designed to stabilize fluorocarbon-based nanoemulsions, allowing controlled activation into stable microbubbles with diameters not exceeding 2-3 μm, and can be grafted onto metallic oxide nanoparticles for enhanced imaging and therapeutic applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If long chain fluoroalkylated surfactants are used to stabilize fluorocarbon-based nanoemulsions, then the emulsion stability is improved, but toxicity and environmental persistence increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the harmful long-chain fluoroalkylated surfactants (PFAS) from the formulation and replaces them with alternative stabilizing agents such as phospholipids, proteins, or mixed surfactant systems that provide adequate emulsion stability without the toxicity and environmental persistence issues of PFAS
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite surfactant systems combining multiple components (e.g., phospholipids with cholesterol, or mixed surfactant blends) to achieve the stabilizing effect previously provided by single-component PFAS, while avoiding their harmful properties
2Object-affected harmful factors
If phospholipidic surfactants are used to stabilize fluorocarbon-based emulsions, then environmental safety is improved, but the droplet size becomes micrometric or stable gaseous microbubbles are not generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies critical parameters including phospholipid chain length, degree of unsaturation, head group composition, and cholesterol content to optimize the interfacial film properties for producing nanometric droplets (50-500 nm) that can be converted into stable microbubbles upon ultrasonic activation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite systems combining phospholipids with cholesterol or other surfactants to create interfacial films with optimized mechanical properties that enable both nanometric droplet formation and stable microbubble generation upon activation
3Adaptability or versatility
If microbubbles are used for biomedical applications, then diagnostic and therapeutic potential is improved, but pulmonary embolism risk increases due to size and intravascular persistence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent precisely controls microbubble size parameters (targeting 1-5 μm diameter) and surface properties through the dendritic surfactant formulation to reduce pulmonary embolism risk while maintaining adequate intravascular persistence for effective contrast enhancement and therapeutic delivery
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The dendritic molecules provide stable, easily activatable microbubbles with prolonged intravascular persistence, enabling targeted delivery and improved biomedical applications such as contrast agents and therapeutic agents.
Implementation Method 1
nanodroplets of a liquid fluorocarbon stabilized in a continuous aqueous phase by a thin lipid film present at the interface between said aqueous phase and said liquid fluorocarbon
Implementation Method 2
The surfactants commonly used are selected among long chain fluoroalkylated surfactants or phospholipids
Implementation Method 3
the application of ultrasound can then vaporize the liquid fluorocarbon. The nanoemulsion droplets are thus converted into microbubbles
Implementation Method 4
the potential of microbubbles for ultrasound diagnosis, therapy (delivery of therapeutic agents under focused ultrasound), therapeutic energy delivery
Implementation Method 5
The inventors have set themselves the goal of developing a solution to overcome these drawbacks, in particular to obtain a stable fluorocarbon-based nanoemulsion which can be easily activated into stable microbubbles
Implementation Method 6
as an optical imaging tool or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tool, more particularly MRI contrast agent
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to the use of oligo(ethylene oxide) dendritic molecules for stabilizing fluorocarbon-based nanoemulsions, to fluorocarbon-based nanoemulsions comprising such dendritic molecules and to their uses for biomedical applications, in particular as contrast agents, drug carrier or oxygenating agent.