Micro-/nanomotors as platforms for gas therapy

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Active delivery of therapeutic gases for disease intervention faces challenges in targeted delivery and controlled release.
• Micro-/nanomotors (MNMs) are emerging as promising nanomaterial-based systems for overcoming these delivery hurdles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review recent advances in employing MNMs for precise therapeutic gas delivery and therapy.
• To highlight the potential of MNMs in microenvironment modulation for disease treatment.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature on MNMs for therapeutic gas delivery, focusing on propulsion in biological environments and stimulus-responsive gas release.
• Discussion of specific therapeutic gases including nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon monoxide (CO), oxygen (O2), and hydrogen (H2).
• Analysis of proof-of-concept designs for artificial MNMs.

Main Results:

• MNMs demonstrate efficient propulsion in complex biological settings.
• MNMs can be designed for intelligent gas release triggered by intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli.
• MNMs show significant potential for modulating the microenvironment for therapeutic benefits.

Conclusions:

• MNMs represent a sophisticated platform for precise gas delivery and therapy.
• Further development of MNMs is expected to facilitate advanced gas therapy applications.
• MNMs offer a distinct advantage in targeted delivery and controlled release of therapeutic gases.