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Ultrasound helps drugs reach their target

06.11.2015

Many of the drugs prescribed for ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and other similar conditions act directly on the sore spot, and if taken orally, they simply may not work, being absorbed before they reach the target. In such cases, an enema is used, which is not always convenient, especially if the drug, by its nature, penetrates the tissue for a long time.

There is a similar problem for drugs applied to the skin, although everything is simpler here - the substance can be on it for a long time. However, back in 1995, Robert Langer and Daniel Blankschtein published an article in which they said that the penetration of the drug into the skin can be accelerated if ultrasound is used. The sound wave creates bubbles in the liquid that collapse, creating a shock wave, making it easier for the substance to penetrate the tissue. Obviously, the same effect should work in the intestines, but it was only now possible to verify this experimentally.

Langer and Blankstein, along with colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard Medical School, published a paper in Science Translational Medicine with the results of a recent study in which insulin and mesalamine, used in the treatment of colitis, were injected into pigs using ultrasonic enemas. Both relatively large insulin and small molecules of mesalamine penetrated into the intestinal tissues better if they were assisted by ultrasound, which was also evident from physiological signs - in animals, after such an injection of insulin, the blood sugar level significantly decreased. Similarly, in mice with colitis, the symptoms of the disease were reduced if they were administered mesalamine with ultrasound for a week, while without ultrasound treatment, the therapeutic effect was weaker. Scientists emphasize that there was no harm to tissues from ultrasonic waves.

Once the animal method has been optimized, it will be time for clinical trials. If their results are just as encouraging, then the method will open the way to everyday medical practice, and perhaps ultrasonic drug delivery will be used not only in case of intestinal inflammation, but also in other diseases. Incidentally, we recently wrote about a similar study in which ultrasonication increased the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to allow drug molecules to enter the brain.

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