Publications

In recent years, enzyme-powered nanomotors (NMs) have emerged as promising tools for biomedical applications. They exhibit active motion in complex media, whereas traditional passive nanoparticles (NPs) typically remain trapped. Despite their potential, nanogels (NGs)-3D, cross-linked polymeric networks with high water retention and environmental responsiveness-remain underexplored as cores for enzymatic NMs. Here, fine-tuned NGs designed to confer smart properties are presented, allowing them to adapt their size and density in response to external stimuli (e.g., pH, temperature, and redox conditions). After anchoring urease to these NGs to produce nanogel-nanomotors (NGs-NMs), they exhibited both individual and collective motion at a very low urea concentration, enabling displacement in highly viscous environments. To achieve this, four NGs formulations based on p-(N-isopropylacrylamide) co-polymerized with p-Itaconic acid (p-(NIPAM-co-IAc)) are developed, cross-linked with either N,N '-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) and/or N,N '-bis(acryloyl)cystamine (BAC), and coated with p-(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (p-HEMA). This results, obtained via confocal microscopy and flow cytometry, demonstrate their rapid cell internalization. Moreover, synchrotron-based infrared spectroscopy (SR-FTIRM) allowed to demonstrate that NGs-NMs can tune the physicochemical composition of tumoral cells. This findings underscore the potential of NGs-NMs, combining adaptability, safety, and efficacy. They represent the evolution in NMs technology, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in personalized medicine.

JTD Keywords: Active mater, Enzymatic nanomotors, Hydrogels, Nanobots, Nanogels, Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), Ure, Viscous medi

Over the past decades, the development of nanoparticles (NPs) to increase the efficiency of clinical treatments has been subject of intense research. Yet, most NPs have been reported to possess low efficacy as their actuation is hindered by biological barriers. For instance, synovial fluid (SF) present in the joints is mainly composed of hyaluronic acid (HA). These viscous media pose a challenge for many applications in nanomedicine, as passive NPs tend to become trapped in complex networks, which reduces their ability to reach the target location. This problem can be addressed by using active NPs (nanomotors, NMs) that are self-propelled by enzymatic reactions, although the development of enzyme-powered NMs, capable of navigating these viscous environments, remains a considerable challenge. Here, the synergistic effects of two NMs troops, namely hyaluronidase NMs (HyaNMs, Troop 1) and urease NMs (UrNMs, Troop 2) are demonstrated. Troop 1 interacts with the SF by reducing its viscosity, thus allowing Troop 2 to swim more easily through the SF. Through their collective motion, Troop 2 increases the diffusion of macromolecules. These results pave the way for more widespread use of enzyme-powered NMs, e.g., for treating joint injuries and improving therapeutic effectiveness compared with traditional methods. The conceptual idea of the novel approach using hyaluronidase NMs (HyaNMs) to interact with and reduce the viscosity of the synovial fluid (SF) and urease NMs (UrNMs) for a more efficient transport of therapeutic agents in joints.image

JTD Keywords: Biological barrier, Clinical research, Clinical treatments, Collective motion, Collective motion,nanomotors,nanorobots,swarming,viscous medi, Collective motions, Complex networks, Enzymatic reaction, Enzymes, Hyaluronic acid, Hyaluronic-acid,ph,viscoelasticity,adsorption,barriers,behavior,ureas, Macromolecules, Medical nanotechnology, Nano robots, Nanomotors, Nanorobots, Swarming, Synovial fluid, Target location, Viscous media, Viscous medium