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Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound: A Physical Stimulus with Immunomodulatory and Anti-inflammatory Potential

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Abstract

Ultrasound has expanded into the therapeutic field as a medical imaging and diagnostic technique. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a kind of therapeutic ultrasound that plays a vital role in promoting fracture healing, wound repair, immunomodulation, and reducing inflammation. Its anti-inflammatory effects are manifested by decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, accelerated regression of immune cell invasion, and accelerated damage repair. Although the anti-inflammatory mechanism of LIPUS is not very clear, many in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that LIPUS may play its anti-inflammatory role by activating signaling pathways such as integrin/Focal adhesion kinase (FAK)/Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Serine threonine kinase (Akt), Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), or inhibiting signaling pathways such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs)/Nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and p38-Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). As a non-invasive physical therapy, the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of LIPUS deserve further exploration.

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Data Availability

The data sets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (82073894), Cultivation Project of PLA General Hospital for Distinguished Young Scientists (2020-JQPY-004), and New Medicine Clinical Research Fund (4246Z512).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Medicine Clinical Research, Department of Pharmacy, Medical Supplies Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fu Xing Road, Beijing, 100853, People’s Republic of China

    Wenxin Liang, Beibei Liang, Kaicheng Yan, Guanxuanzi Zhang, Jiaju Zhuo & Yun Cai

  2. College of Pharmacy, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China

    Wenxin Liang & Jiaju Zhuo

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  1. Wenxin Liang
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  2. Beibei Liang
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Contributions

Wenxin Liang and Kaicheng Yan reviewed the literature, extracted and analyzed the data; Wenxin Liang and Beibei Liang drafted the manuscript; Guanxuanzi Zhang and Jiaju Zhuo extracted the data and drafted the figure; as corresponding authors, Yun Cai contributed to study design, protocol, data extraction, data analysis, and writing.

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Liang, W., Liang, B., Yan, K. et al. Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound: A Physical Stimulus with Immunomodulatory and Anti-inflammatory Potential. Ann Biomed Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-024-03523-y

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