Table 1.

Categories of Organic Sonosensitizers

Category	Sonosensitizer	Key Features	Limitations
Porphyrin Derivatives	Hematoporphyrin, HMME, PpIX, Ce6, DVDMS, ZnPcC4, ZnPcS2P2	High ROS generation capability under ultrasound (US), 18-π aromatic macrocycles, excellent sonodynamic activity	Poor water solubility, high biosafety concerns, low tumor-targeted accumulation
Cyanine Derivatives	ICG, IR780, trifluoromethyl-heptamethine cyanine, platinum(II)–cyanine complex	Intense absorption bands in 700–900 nm, approved for clinical use, high molar absorption coefficient, good sonodynamic activity	Poor biocompatibility, need for modifications to improve membrane permeability and metabolic stability
Semiconducting Polymeric nanoparticles	SPNCs	High biocompatibility, high chemical flexibility, tunable sizes, efficient tumor penetration, alleviates tumor hypoxia	Complex synthesis process, need for optimization in clinical applications
Nanoliposome Sonosensitizers	LEA, DLMBs	Enhances bioaccumulation and stability of sonosensitive molecules, effective drug carriers, improved antiproliferative effect	Potential for immune response, stability of encapsulated drugs, scalability of production

Abbreviations: HMME, hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether; PpIX, protoporphyrin IX; Ce6, Chlorin e6; DVDMS, sinoporphyrin sodium; ZnPcC4, tetra-α-(3-carboxyphenoxyl) zinc(II) phthalocyanine; ZnPcS2P2, di-sulfo-di-phthalimidomethyl phthalocyanine zinc; ICG, indocyanine green; IR780, trifluoromethyl-heptamethine cyanine; SPNCs, Semiconducting polymer nanoparticles; LEA, Liposome-encapsulated artemether; DLMBs, DVDMS-loaded microbubbles.