Nanosized Janus AuNR-Pt Motor for Enhancing NIR-II Photoacoustic Imaging of Deep Tumor and Pt²⁺ Ion-Based Chemotherapy

Abstract

Synthetic micro/nanomotors have great potential in deep tissue imaging and in vivo drug delivery because of their active motion ability. However, applying nanomotors with a size less than 100 nm to in vivo imaging and therapy is one of the core changes in this field. Herein, a nanosized hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-driven Janus gold nanorod-platinum (JAuNR-Pt) nanomotor is developed for enhancing the second near-infrared region (NIR-II) photoacoustic (PA) imaging of deep tissues of tumors and for effective tumor treatment. The JAuNR-Pt nanomotor is prepared by depositing platinum (Pt) on one end of a gold nanorod with varying proportions of Pt shell coverage, including 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. The JAuNR-Pt nanomotor with Pt shell coverage proportions of 50% exhibits the highest diffusion coefficient (D e), and it can rapidly move in the presence of H2O2. The self-propulsion of JAuNR-Pt nanomotor enhances cellular uptake, accelerates lysosomal escape, and facilitates continuous release of cytotoxic Pt2+ ions to the nucleus, causing DNA damage and cell apoptosis. The JAuNR-Pt nanomotor presents deep penetration and enhanced accumulation in tumors as well as high tumor treatment effect. Therefore, this work displays deep tumor imaging and an excellent antitumor effect, providing an effective tool for accurate diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Active therapy based on the byproducts of micro/nanomotors

“…By virtue of their miniaturized size, distinctive automatic navigation, strong cargo towing and effective penetrating capability, micro/nanomotors have displayed limitless potential to revolutionize various research areas, particularly the biomedical field, such as drug delivery, [7][8][9][10] precise surgery, [11][12][13] sensing, [14][15][16][17][18] and imaging. [19][20][21][22] In the past few years, accompanied by the vigorous advances of micro/nanomotors, a multitude of reviews with regard to motors from different emphasis points have sprung up. It is worth noting that these reviews often focus on the fabrication techniques, propulsion mechanisms, motion behaviors and applications of micro/nanomotors, [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] which reflects that researchers tend to pay great attention to perfect structures, striking motility capacities and conspicuous application outcomes of motors.…”

Nanoarchitectonics horizons: materials for life sciences

“…The developed nanomotor was found to effectively penetrate deeper tumor cells via self-propulsion which then released platinum ions for nucleic acid and cell damage in tumor cells. 32 Cancer immunotherapy is a promising area where scientists overcome the limitations of other cancer treatments, including chemotherapies and radiotherapies. To achieve immunotherapy, it is necessary to enhance the interactions between the effector and tumor cells via antibodies.…”

Self-actuated biomimetic nanocomposites for photothermal therapy and PD-L1 immunosuppression

“…Therefore, in addition to the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect of solid tumors, nanodrive technology can also be used for autonomous movement to promote effective enrichment, retention and penetration of therapeutic drugs in the lesion site (Kwon et al, 2021;Mujtaba et al, 2021;Wu et al, 2022). The driving force types of nanodrive technology include biological drive, chemical drive, optical drive, ultrasonic drive, magnetic drive and electric drive (Li et al, 2022;Shi et al, 2022;Xie et al, 2022). The generation of these artificially driven devices has attracted extensive attention due to their potential applications in nanomachines, nanomedicine, nanoscale transport and assembly, nanorobots, fluid systems and chemical sensors (Han et al, 2021;Ji et al, 2021;Jiao et al, 2021;Xu et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2022).…”