Controlled permeabilization of mammalian cell membranes is fundamental to develop gene and cell therapies based on macromolecular cargo delivery, a process that emerged against an increasing number of health afflictions, including genetic disorders, cancer and infections. Viral vectors have been successfully used for macromolecular delivery; however, they may have unpredictable side effects and have been limited to life-threatening cases. Thus, several chemical and physical methods have been explored to introduce drugs, vaccines, and nucleic acids into cells. One of the most appealing physical methods to deliver genes into cells is shock wave-induced poration. High-speed microjets of fluid, emitted due to the collapse of microbubbles after shock wave passage, represent the most significant mechanism that contributes to cell membrane poration by this technique. Herein, progress in shock wave-induced permeabilization of mammalian cells is presented. After covering the main concepts related to molecular strategies whose applications depend on safer drug delivery methods, the physics behind shock wave phenomena is described. Insights into the use of shock waves for cell membrane permeation are discussed, along with an overview of the two major biomedical applications thereof—i.e., genetic modification and anti-cancer shock wave-assisted chemotherapy. The aim of this review is to summarize 30 years of data showing underwater shock waves as a safe, noninvasive method for macromolecular delivery into mammalian cells, encouraging the development of further research, which is still required before the introduction of this promising tool into clinical practice.

受控的哺乳动物细胞膜通透性是开发基于大分子货物递送的基因和细胞疗法的基础，该过程针对越来越多的健康问题而出现，包括遗传性疾病，癌症和感染。病毒载体已成功用于大分子递送。但是，它们可能具有不可预测的副作用，并且仅限于危及生命的情况。因此，已经探索了几种化学和物理方法以将药物，疫苗和核酸引入细胞。将基因传递到细胞中最吸引人的物理方法之一是冲击波诱导的穿孔。冲击波通过后，由于微气泡的破裂而散发出的高速流体微喷射，代表通过该技术有助于细胞膜穿孔的最重要机制。在此，提出了在冲击波诱导的哺乳动物细胞的透化中的进展。在介绍了与分子策略有关的主要概念之后，它们的应用取决于更安全的药物输送方法，然后介绍了冲击波现象背后的物理原理。讨论了对使用冲击波进行细胞膜渗透的见解，并概述了其两个主要的生物医学应用-基因修饰和抗癌冲击波辅助化学疗法。这篇综述的目的是总结30年的数据，这些数据表明水下冲击波是一种安全，无创的将大分子递送至哺乳动物细胞的方法，这鼓励了进一步研究的发展，