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Stabilization of Gas Bubbles Released from Water‐Soluble Carbohydrates Using Amphiphilic Compounds: Preparation of Formulations and Acoustic Monitoring of Bubble Lifetime
Author(s) -
Hoff Lars,
Foss Per A.,
Dyrstad Knut,
Klaveness Jo,
Rongved Pål
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of surfactants and detergents
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1558-9293
pISSN - 1097-3958
DOI - 10.1007/s11743-011-1250-y
Subject(s) - chemistry , bubble , behenic acid , amphiphile , carboxylic acid , ultrasound , chromatography , galactose , organic chemistry , palmitic acid , fatty acid , physics , parallel computing , computer science , acoustics , copolymer , polymer
The ultrasound contrast agents Echovist ® and Levovist ® (Bayer AG, Schering AG, Germany) are based on the release of gas bubbles from milled α‐ d ‐galactose. In diagnostic ultrasound, for this class of contrast agents, there is a need for prolonged contrast duration. To investigate if new carbohydrate compositions could prolong the lifetime of the gas bubbles, α‐ d ‐galactose was mixed with other carbohydrates or amphiphiles with varying log P . Acoustic attenuation vs. time (390 s) area under the curve ( A 390 ) and bubble half‐time ( t ½) were used as measures of prolonged lifetime of gas bubbles. The products, to which 0.1% of a lipophilic carboxylic acid (5β‐cholanic acid, behenic acid, and melissic acid) has been added, showed more than 5, 7 and 11 times enhancement of A 390 , respectively, compared with the reference compound 2 ( RC2 ) corresponding to the commercial product Levovist®. The half‐time t ½ of the same compounds was prolonged more than 6 times compared with RC2 . A partial least square (PLS) statistical analysis confirmed that, for additives, high log P carboxylic acids lead to the highest A 390 . The present results bear a promise of products with a more persistent in vivo ultrasound contrast effect than the commercially available agents.