Ultrasound mediated therapy: Recent progress and challenges in nanoscience

As an effective treatment approach, photo-therapeutic has great potential in treating various diseases, but this light-activated strategy suffers from the major shortcoming of low tissue penetration depth. Low-intensity ultrasound features with non-invasive and high tissue-penetrating ability have been widely used in clinical diagnostic, which can effectively overcome the major limitation of light. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a novel noninvasive therapeutic modality that involves a combination of low-intensity ultrasound and sonosensitizers. Combining nanotechnology with SDT can effectively augment the SDT efficiency and may essentially reverse the disadvantages of traditional SDT, paving an avenue for more efficient and safer therapeutic options. In this review, we highlight the recent advances of SDT in nanoscience in terms of its possible mechanisms of action, applications against various diseases and synergistic effects of SDT in combination with other therapeutic modalities. Moreover, potential limitations and future prospects are also discussed.