(State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China)
Developing new methods that can effectively cure tumors is of significance to improve the survival rate of cancer patients. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a new tumor treatment method developed rapidly in recent years, and it exhibits some advantages such as non-invasiveness, high temporal and spatial resolution and low side effects. SDT uses ultrasound to stimulate sonosensitizers accumulated at the tumor site, and then the sonosensitizers absorb ultrasound energy and interact with oxygen in the tumor to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) which further induce tumor cells apoptosis or necrosis. The key of SDT is to develop safe and efficient sonosensitizers. This review firstly discusses the possible mechanism of SDT. Then, the research progress of sonosensitizers that have been used in SDT in recent years is introduced, including organic molecule sonosensitizers, inorganic nano sonosensitizers, and organic-inorganic hybrid nano sonosensitizers, and their tumor therapeutic efficacies are also evaluated. Finally, the existing challenges of SDT and the development direction of SDT for future clinic application are discussed.