Piezoelectric Nanoparticles for Ultrasound-Based Wireless Therapies

Abstract

Piezoelectric materials can convert ultrasound-based mechanical energy into electrical energy and associated electrochemical reactions, and they have attracted a wide range of applications in energy harvesting, wastewater treatment, and catalysis. In biomedical science, these piezoelectric materials have been used in ultrasound-based therapy and sonodynamic therapy. In particular, the noninvasive nature and high tissue-penetrating ability of ultrasound offer various wireless therapies at remote areas that include generation of reactive oxygen species at the intra/ extracellular space, electrical stimulation of cell/brain/tissue, tumor ablation, and antibacterial activity. The most challenging aspects of these biomedical applications include the design of the nanoparticle form of piezoelectric materials, optimization of the piezocatalytic condition, and understanding of triggered bioeffects. This Spotlight on Applications will focus on recent advances on piezoelectric nanomaterial-based wireless therapy. At first we discuss the piezoelectric materials and nanoparticles, the principle of ultrasound-based piezoelectric response, and piezocatalytic reactions at their surface. Next, we discuss the approaches in constructing different piezoelectric nanoplatforms for wireless therapies. Finally, we summarize the reported wireless therapeutic approaches toward neuronal cell stimulation, combating neurodegenerative disease, antibacterial effect and fouling treatment, cancer cell and tumor therapy, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, and health monitoring. Current challenges and future directions are discussed for further expansion of the field.

Reactive oxygen species for therapeutic application: Role of piezoelectric materials

“…There are already some reports available to date, highlighting the bio-piezoelectric materials for disease diagnosis and treatments. [72][73][74][75][76] Although they cover all the modes of piezoelectric interactions, the ROS based approach is discussed less or neglected in most of the cases. In contrast, the present feature article will deal with particular ROS accompanied piezoelectric materials, ignoring other mechanistic pathways, ensuring the advantages of the highly reactive intermediates for therapeutic studies.…”

The fundamentals and applications of piezoelectric materials for tumor therapy: recent advances and outlook

“…4 The physical and chemical properties or biological effects of nano-preparations determine their safety, efficient precision diagnosis and treatment effect. [5][6][7] Shi and colleagues used piezoelectric materials to improve ultrasound power therapy, which was the first application of piezoelectric materials as nanomedicines in the antitumor field. 1 The builtin electric field separates electrons and holes, thereby improving the ability to generate reactive oxygen species for tumor treatment under piezoelectric catalytic modulation.…”

Bio-piezoelectric phenylalanine-αβ-dehydrophenylalanine nanotubes as potential modalities for combinatorial electrochemotherapy in glioma cells

“…can be employed for inducing activation of piezoelectric nanomaterials. 9 Living organisms/tissues carry ample mechanical stimuli that can be exploited for the activation of the piezoelectric materials under in vivo conditions. [10][11][12][13] Piezoelectric nanomaterials owing to their smaller size may additionally serve as a very promising platform in this direction and help to attain non-invasive, wireless, and targeted electro-chemotherapy against cancer cells.…”