Ultrasound-Induced Microbubble Cavitation for Targeted Delivery of MiR-29b Mimic to Treat Cardiac Fibrosis

Objective: Cardiac fibrosis contributes to adverse ventricular remodeling and is associated with loss of miR-29b. Overexpression of miR-29b via plasmid or intravenous injection of microRNA mimic has blunted fibrosis, but these are inefficient and non-targeted delivery strategies. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that delivery of microRNA-29b (miR-29b) using ultrasound-targeted microbubble cavitation (UTMC) of miR-29b-loaded microbubbles would attenuate cardiac fibrosis and preserve left ventricular (LV) function.

Methods: Lipid microbubbles were loaded with miR-29b mimic (miR-29b-MB) or negative control (NC) mimic (NC-MB), placed with cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and treated with pulsed ultrasound. Cells were harvested to measure downstream fibrotic mediators. Mice received angiotensin II (ANG II) infusion causing afterload increase and direct ANG II-induced cardiac fibrosis. UTMC of miRNA-loaded microbubbles was administered to the heart at days 0, 3 and 7. Serial echocardiography was performed, and hearts were harvested on day 10.

Results: UTMC treatment of CFs with miR-29b-MB increased miR-29b and decreased fibrotic transcripts compared with NC-MB treatment. In vivo UTMC + NC-MB led to increased LV mass, reduction in cardiac function and increase in fibrotic markers, demonstrating ANGI II-induced adverse cardiac remodeling. Mice treated with UTMC + miR-29b-MB had preservation of cardiac function, downregulation of cardiac fibrillin and trends of lower COL1A1, COL1A2 and COL3 mRNA and decreased cardiac α-smooth muscle protein.

Conclusion: UTMC-mediated delivery of miR-29b mimic blunts expression of fibrosis markers and preserves LV function in ANG II-induced cardiac fibrosis.