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The investigation of ultrasound for biotechnological applications including non-invasive surgery (HIFU), drug/gene delivery to cells (sonoporation) or through the skin (sonophoresis) and ultrasound assisted bioreactors has focused mainly on the physical effects of ultrasound. The beneficial effects of ultrasound rely on a number of application-dependent mechanisms, and may include tissue heating, acoustic streaming or cavitation. Although acoustic cavitation is necessary in some systems, cavitation bubbles simultaneously result in uncontrollable cell damage and cytolysis. Thus, the development of a number of biotechnological uses of ultrasound has been hampered by the necessity to constrain exposure parameters in order to prevent the occurrence of acoustic cavitation or to at least limit the detrimental effects of cavitation. The current study shows that non-toxic concentrations of specific n-alkyl solutes completely inhibit ultrasound induced cytolysis of in vitro suspensions of human leukemia cells (HL-60). Protection of the whole cell population from cytolysis is achieved even under extreme ultrasound exposure conditions that result in cytolysis of 100 % of the cell population in the absence of the n-alkyl solutes. Furthermore, the n-alkyl solutes did not hinder the process of inertial cavitation. This method may allow utilization of beneficial effects of ultrasound and cavitation while protecting cells from cavitation induced cytolysis and thereby presents new possibilities for ultrasound in medicine and biology. © 2006 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synergistic effect of ultrasound and drugs on cells is known as sonodynamic therapy and has been shown to be effective in killing cancer cells in vitro and in tumor bearing animals. © 2005 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]