Department of Ultrasound Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
Clinical Research Center for Medical Imaging in Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430022, China.
J Mol Med (Berl). 2023 Apr;101(4):361-374. doi: 10.1007/s00109-023-02302-x. Epub 2023 Mar 11.
Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), as a safe and potent physical therapy, has been widely used. It has been demonstrated that LIPUS could induce multiple biological effects, such as relieving pain, accelerating tissue repair/regeneration, and alleviating inflammation. A number of in vitro studies have indicated that LIPUS could significantly reduce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. This anti-inflammatory effect has also been verified in many in vivo researches. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying LIPUS against inflammation are far from fully elucidated and may differ among different tissues and cells. Here, we review the applications of LIPUS against inflammation through different signaling pathways including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/serine/threonine kinase (PI3K/Akt), and discuss the underlying mechanisms. The positive effects of LIPUS on exosomes against inflammation and related signaling pathways are also discussed. A systematic overview of recent advances will present a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of LIPUS, thus boosting our ability to optimize this promising anti-inflammatory therapy.
低强度脉冲超声（LIPUS）作为一种安全有效的物理治疗方法，已得到广泛应用。研究表明，LIPUS 可诱导多种生物学效应，如缓解疼痛、加速组织修复/再生和减轻炎症。大量体外研究表明，LIPUS 可显著降低促炎细胞因子的表达。这种抗炎作用在许多体内研究中也得到了验证。然而，LIPUS 抗炎的分子机制远未完全阐明，并且可能因不同的组织和细胞而有所不同。在这里，我们通过核因子-κB（NF-κB）、丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）和磷脂酰肌醇-3-激酶/丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶（PI3K/Akt）等不同信号通路综述了 LIPUS 对抗炎症的应用，并讨论了其潜在机制。还讨论了 LIPUS 对细胞外囊泡对抗炎症和相关信号通路的积极影响。对最新进展的系统综述将更深入地了解 LIPUS 的分子机制，从而提高我们优化这种有前途的抗炎治疗的能力。
