Drug delivery and adhesion of magnetic nanoparticles coated nanoliposomes and microbubbles to atherosclerotic plaques under magnetic and ultrasound fields

The use of external fields such as magnet and ultrasound to enhance the targeted drug delivery (TDD) by nano-microcarriers could be a potential method. In this research, the drug delivery of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) coated nanoliposomes and microbubbles (MBs) to the atherosclerosis plaque was investigated under magnetic and ultrasound fields in terms of their adhesion to the plaque through ligand–receptor binding. The Halbach arrangement enhanced the surface density of nanoliposomes and MBs adhered to the plaque by ∼121\% and ∼94\%, respectively. A focused transducer at the power of 60W led to better drug delivery performance and caused ∼67\% and ∼58\% enhancement in the surface density of nanoliposomes and MBs adhered to the plaque, respectively. Better drug delivery efficiency was achieved upon using a magnetic field as compared with the ultrasound field. The simultaneous employment of magnetic and ultrasound fields can increase the delivery of nanoliposomes and MBs by ∼148\% and ∼121\%, respectively. The results of this study can broaden our insight on the effects of a magnet (its size, location, and arrangement) and the type of ultrasound transducer on TDD to the carotid artery disease using nanoliposomes and MBs.