Sonoporation
Encyclopedia
Sonoporation, or cellular sonication
Sonication
thumb|right|A sonicator at the [[Weizmann Institute of Science]] during sonicationSonication is the act of applying sound energy to agitate particles in a sample, for various purposes. In the laboratory, it is usually applied using an ultrasonic bath or an ultrasonic probe, colloquially known as...

, is the use of sound (typically ultrasonic frequencies) for modifying the permeability of the cell plasma membrane
Cell membrane
The cell membrane or plasma membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment. The cell membrane is selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules and controls the movement of substances in and out of cells. It basically protects the cell...

. This technique is usually used in molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...

 and non-viral gene therapy
Gene therapy
Gene therapy is the insertion, alteration, or removal of genes within an individual's cells and biological tissues to treat disease. It is a technique for correcting defective genes that are responsible for disease development...

 in order to allow uptake of large molecules such as DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

 into the cell, in a cell disruption
Cell disruption
Cell disruption is a method or process for releasing biological molecules from inside a cell.- Choice of disruption method:The production of biologically-interesting molecules using cloning and culturing methods allows the study and manufacture of relevant molecules.Except for excreted molecules,...

 process called transfection
Transfection
Transfection is the process of deliberately introducing nucleic acids into cells. The term is used notably for non-viral methods in eukaryotic cells...

 or transformation
Transformation (genetics)
In molecular biology transformation is the genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the direct uptake, incorporation and expression of exogenous genetic material from its surroundings and taken up through the cell membrane. Transformation occurs naturally in some species of bacteria, but it can...

. Sonoporation employs the acoustic cavitation
Cavitation
Cavitation is the formation and then immediate implosion of cavities in a liquidi.e. small liquid-free zones that are the consequence of forces acting upon the liquid...

 of microbubbles
Microbubbles
Microbubbles are bubbles smaller than one millimetre in diameter, but larger than one micrometre. They are used in medical diagnostics as a contrast agent for ultrasound imaging....

 to enhance delivery of these large molecules. The bioactivity of this technique is similar to, and in some cases found superior to, electroporation
Electroporation
Electroporation, or electropermeabilization, is a significant increase in the electrical conductivity and permeability of the cell plasma membrane caused by an externally applied electrical field...

. Extended exposure to low-frequency (
Sonoporation is under active study for the introduction of foreign gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

s in tissue culture cells, especially mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

ian cells. Sonoporation is also being studied for use in targeted Gene therapy
Gene therapy
Gene therapy is the insertion, alteration, or removal of genes within an individual's cells and biological tissues to treat disease. It is a technique for correcting defective genes that are responsible for disease development...

 in vivo
In vivo
In vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...

, in a medical treatment scenario whereby a patient is given modified DNA, and an ultrasonic transducer might target this modified DNA into specific regions of the patient's body.

Equipment

Sonoporation is performed with a dedicated sonoporator. Sonoporation may also be performed with custom-built piezoelectric transducers connected to bench-top function generators and acoustic amplifiers. Standard ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...

 medical devices may also be used in some applications.

Measurement of the acoustics used in sonoporation is listed in terms of mechanical index, which quantifies the likelihood that exposure to diagnostic ultrasound will produce an adverse biological effect by a nonthermal action based on pressure.

Microbubble Agents

Sonoporation uses microbubbles for significantly enhancing transfection, and in some cases is required for DNA uptake. These microbubble agents include Optison, manufactured by General Electric
Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....

Healthcare.
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