Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
Evaluation of the Feasibility, Safety, and Accuracy of an Intraoperative High-intensity Focused Ultrasound Device for Treating Liver Metastases
Published on: January 9, 2019
Metabolic Reprogramming Nanoplatform for Broad-Spectrum Lactate Suppression to Reverse High Intensity Focused
Zeyan Huang1, Yi Lin1, Rui Tang2
1Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapy, Institute of Ultrasound Imaging, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010, China.
This study developed a nanoplatform to improve high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment for liver cancer (HCC). The platform reduces tumor lactate and immunosuppression, effectively inhibiting HCC growth after HIFU ablation.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Oncology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) shows promise for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment but faces challenges like incomplete ablation and recurrence.
- HIFU can induce sublethal heat stress and hypoxia, promoting the Warburg effect, lactate production, and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITM).
Purpose of the Study:
- To design a multifunctional nanoplatform to target and regulate lactate metabolism in HCC following HIFU treatment.
- To mitigate HIFU-induced side effects and enhance therapeutic efficacy by modulating the tumor microenvironment.
Main Methods:
- A nanoplatform was synthesized using cRGD peptide-modified liposomes encapsulating perfluorohexane (PFH) and the GLUT1 inhibitor BAY-876.
- PFH generated microbubbles under ultrasound to enhance acoustic fields and deliver oxygen, while BAY-876 inhibited glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1).
Main Results:
- The nanoplatform reduced sublethal heat stress and suppressed heat-induced lactate production.
- Tumor oxygenation was increased, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α was inhibited, and GLUT1 activity was downregulated, leading to a 3.23-fold reduction in lactate levels.
- Significant alleviation of lactate-mediated ITM and effective suppression of HCC tumor growth in mice were observed.
Conclusions:
- The developed nanoplatform offers a promising metabolic immunomodulatory strategy for HCC local treatment.
- This approach effectively suppresses tumor growth by broadly modulating lactate metabolism and the tumor microenvironment post-HIFU.
