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medicalTargeted Drug and Nutraceutical Delivery with Nanobubbless
Traditional methods for administering drugs and nutraceuticals such as tablets, capsules, or injections often lack precision. This means the active compound may reach the target site only in small amounts, while the rest circulates throughout the body, increasing the risk of side effects and toxicity at higher doses. Many nutraceuticals also face the challenge of low bioavailability, meaning they are poorly absorbed and inefficiently utilized by the body. To address these issues, researchers have been developing targeted delivery systems designed to direct therapeutic agents precisely to their site of action. This method can minimize damage to healthy tissues while increasing efficacy. Among the promising tools for this purpose are nanobubbles.
Nanobubbles: A System for Targeted Delivery
Nanobubbles are minute gas-filled spheres, each less than 200 nanometers across, coated with a stabilizing layer made from lipids, polymers, or surfactants. Their combination of physical size and chemical stability gives them several properties that make them ideal for precision delivery:
- Size and Biodistribution: Because they are so small, nanobubbles can slip past many of the body’s clearance systems and concentrate in diseased tissues. This is referred to as the Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect, which allows them to penetrate and remain in abnormal tissue more effectively than in healthy tissue.
- Stability and Protection: The outer coating of lipids, polymers, or surfactants protects the internal contents, whether a drug, gene, or nutraceutical, from breaking down too early in the body. This protective layer ensures the substance remains whole until it reaches its intended destination.
- Controlled Release: The advantage of nanobubbles is their ability to release their contents on demand. Concentrated ultrasound is the most widely used trigger (US). When activated by US waves, nanobubbles oscillate and undergo a process called acoustic cavitation, which causes them to burst and release their contents precisely where and when needed.
Nanobubbles in Therapeutic Drug Delivery
Nanobubbles are being studied in multiple disease contexts, from cancer to cardiovascular conditions, as vehicles for delivering therapeutic molecules directly to the problem area.
Chemotherapy medications have been successfully delivered to tumors using nanobubbles in cancer therapy. For example, Nittayacharn et al. (2019) investigated doxorubicin-loaded nanobubbles combined with ultrasound for colorectal cancer. The results were striking: not only did this approach deliver more drug into tumors compared to conventional dosing, but ultrasound also enhanced penetration into tumor tissue, boosting effectiveness while reducing systemic exposure.
An even more targeted approach was demonstrated by Liu et al. (2020), who developed nanobubbles designed to recognize the G250 antigen found only on renal carcinoma cells. With ultrasound-triggered release, these bubbles deposited an anti-cancer drug directly into tumor cells. The surrounding healthy kidney tissue remained unharmed, and tumor growth was dramatically reduced-a showcase for ultra-specific therapy.
Nanobubbles are not just for cancer treatment. Xu et al. (2023) studied their use in the treatment of atherosclerosis, a cardiovascular disease. Their team coated nanobubbles with platelet membranes, enabling them to bind specifically to inflamed arterial plaques. Once positioned, ultrasound was used to release siRNA payloads locally, inhibiting plaque growth and even reversing it. This method was non-invasive and spared unaffected tissues, underscoring its safety profile.
Nanobubbles for Nutraceutical Delivery
The potential of nanobubbles isn’t confined to pharmaceuticals. In the nutraceutical sector where many compounds are unstable, insoluble, or otherwise poorly absorbed, nanobubbles offer a means to enhance effectiveness.
A systematic review by Awlqadr et al. (2025) points out that nanobubbles can significantly improve the bioavailability of nutrients that would otherwise be lost in digestion. By shielding these compounds from harsh stomach acids and enzymatic breakdown, nanobubbles allow more of the active substance to survive the journey through the gastrointestinal tract. This translates to better absorption and, in theory, greater health benefits.
For functional foods and dietary supplements, this could be a game changer. It might allow previously impractical nutrients to become viable ingredients, and it could extend shelf life by stabilizing sensitive compounds
Nanobubbles are emerging as one of the most versatile platforms for targeted delivery, equally at home in advanced medical therapy and in the wellness industry. Their ability to protect, transport, and precisely release drugs or nutrients offers a way to increase benefits while reducing risks. Still, the field is young. Long-term safety, cost-effective large scale production, and full clinical translation remain works in progress. Yet the early successes, ranging from shrinking tumors without harming nearby tissue to delivering fragile nutrients intact, show just how far this technology could go. If development continues along its current path, nanobubbles could become a cornerstone of personalized medicine and nutrition, bringing us closer to treatments and supplements that act only where they’re needed, exactly when they’re needed.
