Abstract: Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of lipid-coated microbubbles carrying Taxol on rat brain C6 glioma in vitro and vivo. Methods: For the in vitro study, C6 glioma cell lines were treated with Taxol-LCM or LCM. The distribution of LCM and changes of cell morphology and ultra-structure were observed by immunoflurescent microscopy and confocal microscopy. The process of LCMs entering the glioma cells was dynamically observed. For the in vivo study, 12 rats with intra-cranial C6 glioma were divided into 4 groups: groups with LCM-Taxol injection, LCM injection, Taxol injection and the control group. For the in vivo study, each rat was sacrificed to harvest the brain. Oil red O staining was used to determine the therapeutic effect and distributional characters in intracranial C6 glioma. Life spans were also compared. Results: For the in vitro study, Taxol was connected with lipidcoated microbubbles and the compound was endocyted by C6 glioma and had a killing effect. The whole endocyte process was that lipid- coated micro-bubbles first connected with the surface of glioma cells, second were redistributed in the cells, and finally degraded in the cells associated with the acidic component of cytoplasm. Oil red O staining revealed that LCM had aggregated and there was obvious necrosis in the tumor region in the LCM-Taxol injection group. In the LCM injection groups, there was LCM in tumor regions without obvious necrosis. In the Taxol injection group and the control group, there was no nectrosis or LCM. Life span comparison revealed that survival of the LCM-Taxol injection group was much longer than that of the other three groups. Conclusion: Lipid-coated microbubbles may carry Taxol to C6 glioma cells, and the compound may have a killing effect in vitro and in vivo.

Key words: Lipid-coted microbubbles, Gloima, Rat