pH-Responsive Nanoparticles for Enhanced Antitumor Activity by High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Therapy Combined with Sonodynamic Therapy

Therapeutic ultrasound (US) has been extensively explored for its inherent high tissue-penetrating capability and on-demand irradiation without radioactive damage. Although high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is evolved as such an outstanding US-based approach, its insufficient therapeutic effect and the high-intensity induced potential damage to surrounding normal tissues hindered its development towards practical application. As opposed to high intensity ultrasound, sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a low intensity US-based method which exhibits certain therapeutic effects against cancer via sonosensitizers-generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction.