Acoustically activatable drug-loaded nanodroplets for mechanochemical therapy in solid tumors

Abstract

Stimulus-responsive nanomedicines promise spatiotemporally controlled therapy, yet most systems rely on passive delivery and lack precise, externally programmable activation while maintaining clinical compatibility. Here we engineer sub-200 nm, perfluorocarbon (PFC)-core nanodroplets (NDs) that integrate efficient core drug loading, physiological stability, and acoustically programmable activation within a single nanoscale agent. These NDs are fabricated using microfluidic nanoassembly to achieve controlled size and composition, and are designed to encapsulate fluorinated payloads directly within the liquid core. Upon exposure to a sequential dual-frequency ultrasound (US) paradigm, the NDs undergo acoustic droplet vaporization followed by low-frequency cavitation, enabling spatially confined mechanical disruption and on-demand payload release within clinically relevant acoustic limits. These properties are engineered to overcome physicochemical barriers in solid tumors, including dense extracellular matrix and restricted drug penetration. This approach achieves enhanced payload release and induces potent mechanochemical cytotoxicity in vitro. In vivo, NDs exhibit prolonged circulation and tumor accumulation, while US activation drives substantial tissue fractionation, control drug release, and increases subsequent nanoparticle uptake. When applied to a solid tumor model, this combined mechanochemical strategy improves tumor control and significantly extends survival compared to either modality alone. These acoustically activatable NDs provide a versatile system for stimulus-responsive, site-targeted drug delivery and mechanical tumor disruption, with strong potential for clinical translation. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=99 SRC="FIGDIR/small/719550v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (52K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9c07f8org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1cf355aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@b7afd1org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@177fa1a_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG