Bio-inspired nitric-oxide-driven nanomotor.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30814497.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-08670-8 and PMC identifier 6393443.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Current chemical-fuel-driven nanomotors are driven by gas (e.g. H<sub>2</sub>, O<sub>2</sub>, NH<sub>3</sub>) which only provides motion ability, and can produce waste (e.g. Mg(OH)<sub>2</sub>, Pt). Here, inspired by endogenous biochemical reactions in the human body involving conversion of amino acid L-arginine to nitric oxide (NO) by NO synthase (NOS) or reactive oxygen species (ROS), we report on a nanomotor made of hyperbranched polyamide/L-arginine (HLA). The nanomotor utilizes L-arginine as fuel for the production of NO both as driving force and to provide beneficial effects, including promoting endothelialisation and anticancer effects, along with other beneficial by-products. In addition, the HLA nanomotors are fluorescent and can be used to monitor the movement of nanomotors in vivo in the future. This work presents a zero-waste, self-destroyed and self-imaging nanomotor with potential biological application for the treatment of various diseases in different tissues including blood vessels and tumours.
Medical subject headings
- Nanostructures
- Nitric Oxide