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Modulating Apoptosis in Cancer Therapy with Ultrasound and High-Intensity Nanosecond Electric Pulses

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Trends in Stem Cell Proliferation and Cancer Research

Abstract

Ultrasound can induce apoptosis and enhance apoptosis attributable to anticancer drugs, in which cavitation plays the leading role. Cavitation leads to the production of reactive radicals and shear forces, which insult DNA and mitochondria, initiating apoptosis via the cytochrome c–caspase 3 pathway. Cavitation permeabilizes the cell membrane, thereby increasing the intracellular drug level and enhancing the efficacy of the cytotoxic drug. Ultrasonically chemotherapeutic sensitization is effective in both chemosensitive and chemoresistant cancer cells. The biological responses to high-intensity electric pulses are dependent on the voltage applied and the pulse length. Nanosecond electric pulses can pass through plasma and nuclear membranes to create sufficiently high voltages in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus with intact plasma and nuclear membranes, thereby impacting mitochondria or DNA, resulting in apoptosis. Nanosecond electric pulses may induce apoptosis via the intrinsic or the extrinsic pathway, and electrical and mechanical mechanisms may be involved. Both ultrasound and electric pulses can be delivered precisely into preselected tissues, so these two techniques can be developed for targeted cancer therapy.

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Acknowledgments

The work in our laboratory was supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of China (11174376, 30972830) and the Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (CSTC 2009BA5049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400010, China

    Tinghe Yu & Lina Hu

  2. Key Laboratory of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chongqing Bureau of Health, Chongqing, 400010, China

    Tinghe Yu & Lina Hu

  3. Physical Electronics School, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, China

    Minghe Wu

  4. Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China

    Ping Huang

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  1. Tinghe Yu
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  2. Minghe Wu
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  3. Ping Huang
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  4. Lina Hu
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Correspondence to Tinghe Yu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, São Paulo, Brazil

    Rodrigo R. Resende

  2. Depto. Bioquímica, Universidade de São Paulo Inst. Química, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Henning Ulrich

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Yu, T., Wu, M., Huang, P., Hu, L. (2013). Modulating Apoptosis in Cancer Therapy with Ultrasound and High-Intensity Nanosecond Electric Pulses. In: Resende, R., Ulrich, H. (eds) Trends in Stem Cell Proliferation and Cancer Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6211-4_22

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