Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2018, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (2): 123-139.doi: 10.3866/PKU.WHXB201707042

Special Issue: Special Issue for Highly Cited Researchers

• REVIEW • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Applications of Nanotechnology for Physical Stimulus-Responsive Cancer Therapies

Xue-Jiao SONG,Zhuang LIU*()   

  • Received:2017-05-25 Published:2017-11-13
  • Contact: Zhuang LIU E-mail:zliu@suda.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    ational Natural Science Foundation of China(51525203);Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China(2016YFA0201200)

Abstract:

Multifunctional theranostic agents that are responsive to external physical stimuli such as light, magnetic field, ultrasound, radiofrequency, and X-rays have been widely explored for their use in physical stimulus-responsive therapies for cancer.Encouraging results in many preclinical animal experiments have been obtained; thus, this innovative strategy has gained great attention.Owing to the nontoxicity of physical stimulus-responsive agents and treatment specificity under particular external stimuli, physical stimulus-responsive cancer therapies provide greatly reduced toxicity and enhanced therapeutic efficiency compared with conventional chemotherapeutic agents.When combining physical stimulus-responsive therapies with other traditional therapeutics, synergistic antitumor effects via various mechanisms can be achieved.In this review, we will summarize the recent developments in physical stimulus-responsive therapies and discuss the important roles of nanoscale theranostic agents in these novel treatment modalities.

Key words: Physical stimulus-responsive, Theranostic agent, Cancer therapy, Multifunctional, Combination therapy