Basic study on the effect of ultrasound exposure upon suppression of cancer cell proliferation

An ultrasound exposure system was constructed to study the suppression of cancer cell proliferation with ultrasound exposure. Cancer cells of mouse T lymphoma (EL-4) cultured in a flask was exposed to ultrasound. Ultrasound with a frequency of 46 kHz and sound pressure of about 250kPa were used. The cancer cells in the flask after exposure to ultrasound were cultured in a CO/sub 2/ incubator and the cell proliferation behavior was observed. The number of cancer cells did not change remarkably immediately after exposure and increase of the number of cancer cells was suppressed within the lapse of 24 hours after exposure. Longer exposure caused decrease of cancer cells. Apoptosis may contribute to this effect, thus giving a hope for controlling the cancer cells.