Nitric oxide delivery into cultured vascular smooth muscle cells by ELIP in the presence and absence of the NO-scavenging agent, haemoglobin. Vascular smooth muscle cells were pre-loaded with a fluorescent probe, diaminofluorescein-2 diacetate (DFA-2DA), which reacts with NO to produce a fluorescent signal. Cultured cells were then treated with free NO (A and C) or NO encapsulated in ELIP (B and D), in the absence (A and B) or presence (C and D) of haemoglobin. NO-loaded ELIP were able to efficiently deliver NO into cultured cells even in the presence of a potent NO-scavenging agent such as haemoglobin. Published in J Am Coll Cardiol 2009, 54, Huang SL et al, Nitric oxide loaded echogenic liposomes for nitric oxide delivery and inhibition of intimal hyperplasia. Copyright Elsevier (2009).