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A Nanoengineered Embolic Agent for Precise Radiofrequency Ablation

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Abstract

The purpose of the work is to investigate whether the electromagnetic properties of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in the presence of radiofrequency (RF) energy is (1) safe, and (2) improves the precision of the therapeutic efficiency of the RF-ablation (RFA) procedure. An in vitro phantom was created for evaluating temperature near RF treated nanotubes. For the in vivo study, three baboons and six pigs were submitted for RFA procedure in superior/inferior kidney poles embolized with a non-adherent, lipophilic embolic agent (marsembol) with or without MWCNT. Tissue damage in the surrounding kill zone was assayed through caspase-3 activation. The in vitro results showed marked heat increase only in the region of the nanotubes. In vivo, necrosis/ischemic damage resulted from RFA therapy alone, RFA plus marsembol only. In marsembol + MWCNT condition, dramatic disruption of cell membranes and sub-cellular organelles was found whereas the nuclear membranes and basal cell membranes remained largely intact. The marsembol vaporized under RFA and tissue fluid filled the space. This caused the MWCNT to cluster within the new aqueous environment. RFA plus marsembol + MWCNT created a well-defined demarcation between healthy and apoptotic cells as evidenced by a marked reduction of caspase-3 expression. By contrast, there was a much less defined ablation zone in the absence of MWCNT. In conclusion, the combination of RFA plus marsembol + MWCNT embolization delineated the kill zone in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that MWCNTs remain in the ablation region thus minimizing their migration to the systemic circulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experimental Interventional Imaging Laboratory, European Center for Medical Imaging Research, School of Medicine, Aix-Marseille University, Marseilles, France

    Pierre Henri Rolland, Guillaume Louis, Lionel Velly, Vincent Vidal & Pauline Brige

  2. Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, La Timone Hospital, Marseilles, France

    Guillaume Louis & Vincent Vidal

  3. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA

    Joel L. Berry & Vinuta Mayakonda

  4. Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, Department of Physics, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA

    David L. Carroll

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  1. Pierre Henri Rolland
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  2. Joel L. Berry
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  3. Guillaume Louis
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  4. Lionel Velly
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  5. Vincent Vidal
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  6. Pauline Brige
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Correspondence to Joel L. Berry.

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Associate Editor Agata A. Exner oversaw the review of this article.

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Rolland, P.H., Berry, J.L., Louis, G. et al. A Nanoengineered Embolic Agent for Precise Radiofrequency Ablation. Ann Biomed Eng 42, 940–949 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-014-0977-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-014-0977-9

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