Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This laboratory has
previously described the aggregation of intravenously administered
lipid-coated microbubbles around tumors and areas of injury.
7B-Hydroxycholesterol has been used by other investigators to inhibit
astrocytic proliferation in nervous system injury models; the compound
was given by direct infusion, by epidural catheter, or in liposomes
(delivered stereotactically to the injury site). In this article, we
report the use of LCM to deliver 7B-hydroxycholesterol to a
radiofrequency injury site in the rat cerebrum.
METHODS: First, the
ability of LCM to target the thermal lesion in the rat brain was
characterized using a lipid-soluble fluorescent dye, diO. Then, the
effectiveness of this delivery system in suppression of glial
proliferation was measured by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)
immunoreactivity.
RESULTS: GFAP immunoreactivity was significantly
reduced when 7B-hydroxycholesterol was administered via LCM but not
alone, suggesting that astrocytic proliferation would correspondingly be
diminished.
CONCLUSION: LCM were assessed as a delivery vehicle for
7B-hydroxycholesterol in a rat brain radiofrequency lesion and found to
be efficient in reducing astrogliosis, as measured by GFAP
immunoreactivity.