Department of NanoEngineering and Chemical Engineering Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Sci Adv. 2022 Dec 23;8(51):eade6455. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ade6455.
The function of robots in extreme environments is regarded as one of the major challenges facing robotics. Here, we demonstrate that acidophilic microalgae biomotors can maintain their swimming behavior over long periods of time in the harsh acidic environment of the stomach, thus enabling them to be applied for gastrointestinal (GI) delivery applications. The biomotors can also be functionalized with a wide range of cargos, ranging from small molecules to nanoparticles, without compromising their ability to self-propel under extreme conditions. Successful GI delivery of model payloads after oral administration of the acidophilic algae motors is confirmed using a murine model. By tuning the surface properties of cargos, it is possible to modulate their precise GI localization. Overall, our findings indicate that multifunctional acidophilic algae-based biomotors offer distinct advantages compared to traditional biohybrid platforms and hold great potential for GI-related biomedical applications.
机器人在极端环境中的功能被认为是机器人面临的主要挑战之一。在这里，我们证明嗜酸微藻生物马达可以在胃的恶劣酸性环境中长时间保持游动行为，从而使它们能够应用于胃肠道（GI）输送应用。生物马达还可以与各种货物进行功能化，从小分子到纳米颗粒不等，而不会影响它们在极端条件下自行推进的能力。通过使用鼠模型，确认了嗜酸藻类马达口服给药后模型有效载荷的成功 GI 传递。通过调整货物的表面特性，可以调节它们在胃肠道中的精确定位。总的来说，我们的研究结果表明，多功能嗜酸藻类生物马达与传统的生物杂交平台相比具有明显的优势，并且在胃肠道相关的生物医学应用中具有巨大的潜力。
