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.