Effects of Acoustic Parameters of Low-Intensity Ultrasound on Breast Cancer Cells and Applications in Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Low-intensity ultrasound (LIUS) combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy drugs has been reported to have synergistic anti-breast cancer effects. However, very few studies revealed the relationship of ultrasound dose and its anti-cancer bioeffects. In this study, we examined the bioeffects of multiple acoustic parameters and drug concentrations. The optimal doses for both LIUS and the chemodrug epirubicin (EPI) were obtained and performed the maximal anti-cancer outcome. The expression levels of two functional genes— S100A6 and TAP1 genes were upregulated after the combined use of LIUS and EPI, indicating the significant impact of the treatment at the molecular level. The results also suggest that LIUS combined with EPI and microbubbles could potentially lead to a better prognosis of the breast cancer.