Phase-Changeable Nanoparticle-Mediated Energy Conversion Promotes Highly Efficient High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation

Abstract

This review describes how phase-changeable nanoparticles enable highly-efficient high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation (HIFU). HIFU is effective in the clinical treatment of solid malignant tumors; however, it has intrinsic disadvantages for treating some deep lesions, such as damage to surrounding normal tissues. When phase-changeable nanoparticles are used in HIFU treatment, they could serve as good synergistic agents because they are transported in the blood and permeated and accumulated effectively in tissues. HIFU's thermal effects can trigger nanoparticles to undergo a special phase transition, thus enhancing HIFU ablation efficiency. Nanoparticles can also carry anticancer agents and release them in the targeted area to achieve chemo-synergistic therapy response. Although the formation of nanoparticles is complicated and HIFU applications are still in an early stage, the potential for their use in synergy with HIFU treatment shows promising results.

Keywords: High-intensity focused ultrasound ablation; malignant tumors; microbubbles; nanoparticles; synergistic mechanism; therapeutic effect.