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. 2025 Apr 28;19(1):39.
doi: 10.1186/s13036-025-00505-z.

Cerium-doped calcium carbonate microparticles combined with low-intensity ultrasound for efficient sonodynamic therapy in body sculpting

Jhih-Ni Lin  1   2 , Chih-Ying Chi  3 , Yu-Ying Lin  2   4 , Che-Yung Kuan  1   2 , Chia-Tien Chang  2   4 , Li-Ze Lin  5 , I-Hsuan Yang #  6 , Feng-Huei Lin #  7   8
Affiliations

Cerium-doped calcium carbonate microparticles combined with low-intensity ultrasound for efficient sonodynamic therapy in body sculpting

Jhih-Ni Lin et al. J Biol Eng. .

Abstract

Excessive caloric intake and reduced energy expenditure contribute to obesity and localized fat accumulation, adversely affecting overall health. Despite advancements in obesity treatments, noninvasive approaches for targeted fat reduction remain limited. This study introduces a novel sonosensitizer microparticle, cerium-doped calcium carbonate (CaCO3:Ce), and evaluates its potential application in combination with low-intensity ultrasound (LIUS) for noninvasive body sculpting. CaCO3:Ce was synthesized via an environmentally friendly method, producing uniform 1.77 μm particles optimized for endocytosis. Energy-dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed successful cerium doping. The particles demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and generated reactive oxygen species under LIUS exposure. Safety was validated through biochemical, hematological, and histological analyses in Sprague-Dawley rats. Animal experiments further revealed that CaCO3:Ce combined with ultrasound significantly reduced body weight growth rates, waistline measurements, and subcutaneous fat accumulation. These findings suggest that CaCO3:Ce, coupled with LIUS, offers a promising, noninvasive, and low-risk strategy for body sculpting, addressing limitations of current methodologies.

Keywords: Body sculpture; Calcium carbonate; Cerium; Low-intensity ultrasound; Reactive oxygen species.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethics approval for experiments reported in the submitted manuscript on animals was granted. The animals received care according to the guidelines of the Laboratory Animal Care Committee of the National Health Research Institutes. (Approval number 109035-AE) Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
XRD pattern of CaCO3:Ce
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
TEM image of (a) CaCO3:Ce, scale bar = 5 μm. (b) selected area electronic diffraction pattern of CaCO3:Ce. (c) SEM image of CaCO3:Ce. (d) Chemical composition and (e) the weight% and atomic percentage in average of each element of the synthesized CaCO3:Ce by EDS
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
(a) XPS survey spectrum and high-resolution XPS spectra of (b) Ce 3d for CaCO3:Ce, (c) O 1s for CaCO3, and (d) O 1s for CaCO3:Ce
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
ROS production of 3T3-L1 cells treated with CaCO3:Ce with LIUS irradiation. *p < 0.05
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Cell viability of 3T3-L1 cells treated with LIUS, CaCO3:Ce, and a combination of CaCO3:Ce with LIUS stimulation, evaluated by (a) WST-1 assay, *p < 0.05, and live/dead staining of the (b) CaCO3:Ce and (c) US: CaCO3:Ce groups (scale bar: 100 μm)
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Weight growth rate (a), waistline growth rate (b), and subcutaneous fat percentages (c) of SD rats treated with US, CaCO3:Ce, and CaCO3:Ce with LIUS irradiation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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