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A Nanomotor-Based Active Delivery System for Intracellular Oxygen Transport
Fangyu Zhang1, Jia Zhuang1, Berta Esteban Fernández de Ávila1
1Department of Nanoengineering , University of California San Diego , La Jolla , California 92093 , United States.
ACS Nano
|September 27, 2019
Summary
This study introduces a nanomotor system for active oxygen delivery into cells. Acoustically propelled nanomotors carrying oxygen-loaded nanoemulsions significantly improve cell viability under low-oxygen conditions.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Active transport of gas molecules is vital for cellular functions.
- Oxygen is essential for cell metabolism and viability.
- Current methods for oxygen delivery face limitations in efficiency and targeting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a nanomotor-based system for active intracellular oxygen delivery.
- To combine acoustically propelled gold nanowire nanomotors with oxygen-carrying nanoemulsions.
- To evaluate the efficacy of this system in enhancing cell viability under hypoxic conditions.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of nanomotors by combining gold nanowires (AuNW) with red blood cell membrane-cloaked perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions (RBC-PFC).
- Utilizing an ultrasound field to propel the nanomotors (Motor-PFC) for accelerated intracellular delivery.
- Assessing oxygen delivery kinetics and cell viability in J774 macrophage cells under hypoxic conditions.
Main Results:
- Acoustically propelled Motor-PFC demonstrated accelerated intracellular oxygen delivery.
- Sustained oxygen release from Motor-PFC maintained cell viability under hypoxia.
- Significantly higher cell viability (84.4%) was observed with Motor-PFC compared to controls (44.4% free RBC-PFC, 32.7% passive Motor-PFC) over 72 hours.
Conclusions:
- The Motor-PFC system is an effective vehicle for active intracellular oxygen transport.
- This platform shows potential for delivering other gas molecules to target cells.
- The active propulsion mechanism enhances therapeutic outcomes in oxygen-deprived environments.
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