Liposome-mediated transfection of wild-type P53 DNA into human prostate cancer cells is improved by low-frequency ultrasound combined with microbubbles

• Published in: Oncology letters Vol. 11; no. 6; pp. 3829 - 3834
• Main Authors: BAI, WEN-KUN, ZHANG, WEI, HU, BING, YING, TAO
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece D.A. Spandidos 01.06.2016; Spandidos Publications; Spandidos Publications UK Ltd
• Subjects: Androgens; Apoptosis; Cancer therapies; Care and treatment; Clinical trials; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Drug resistance; Efficiency; Gene therapy; Health aspects; liposome; low-energy ultrasound; low-frequency ultrasound; Methods; microbubble; Microbubbles; Mutation; Oncology; Properties; Prostate cancer; Proteins; Standard deviation; Tumor proteins; Tumors; Ultrasonics in medicine; Vectors (Biology); wild-type P53; China; low-frequency ultrasound; gene therapy; microbubble; wild-type P53; low-energy ultrasound; liposome
• ISSN: 1792-1074; 1792-1082
• DOI: 10.3892/ol.2016.4477

Prostate cancer is a common type of cancer in elderly men. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of ultrasound exposure in combination with SonoVue microbubbles on liposome-mediated transfection of wild-type P53 genes into human prostate cancer cells. PC-3 human prostate cancer cells were exposed to ultrasound; duty cycle was controlled at 20% (2 sec on, 8 sec off) for 5 min with and without SonoVue microbubble echo-contrast agent using a digital sonifier (frequency, 21 kHz; intensity, 46 mW/cm2). The cells were divided into eight groups, as follows: Group A (SonoVue + wild-type P53), group B (ultrasound + wild-type P53), group C (SonoVue + ultrasound + wild-type P53), group D (liposome + wild-type P53), group E (liposome + SonoVue + wild-type P53), group F (liposome + wild-type P53 + ultrasound), group G (liposome + wild-type P53 + ultrasound + SonoVue) and the control group (wild-type P53). Following treatment, a hemocytometer was used to measure cell lysis, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were performed to detect P53 gene transfection efficiency, Cell Counting Kit-8 was employed to reveal cell proliferation and Annexin V/propidium iodide staining was used to determine cell apoptosis. Cell lysis was minimal in each group. Wild-type P53 gene and protein expression were significantly increased in the PC-3 cells in group G compared with the control and all other groups (P<0.01). Cell proliferation was significantly suppressed in group G compared with the control group and all other groups (P<0.01). Cell apoptosis levels in group G were significantly improved compared with the control group and all other groups (P<0.01). Thus, the results of the present study indicate that the use of low-frequency and low-energy ultrasound in combination with SonoVue microbubbles may be a potent physical method for increasing liposome gene delivery efficiency.