Micro- and nanorobots in Newtonian and biological viscoelastic fluids

Palagi, Stefano; Walker, Debora; Qiu, Tian; Fischer, Peer

doi:10.1016/b978-0-32-342993-1.00015-x

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…More investigations into these fundamental aspects will be necessary to optimize the fabrication and performance of these devices, but also reduce their side effects. Future research should focus more on the fundamental interactions with biological matrices (Palagi et al, 2017; Walker et al, 2015; Z. Wu et al, 2018) and also in the interaction between several of these nanomotors, which would also offer an interesting system to study in active matter physics (Hortelao, Simó, et al, 2020; Illien et al, 2017). The effects elements like ionic species or pH on the motion efficiency still need to be further investigated, as seemingly contradictory results arise (Arqué et al, 2020; De Corato et al, 2020; Tang et al, 2020), hinting at a much more complex interaction between all the actors involved in the motion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their motion in simple Newtonian fluids like water, although necessary to characterize and optimize their performance, is not an appropriate model of an in vivo environment, since the nanomotors will need to interact with the crowded environment of tissues and cells, affecting their diffusion and biocatalytic reactions. More investigation of the motion of nanomotors in complex environments will be necessary to optimize their fabrication to move efficiently in biological fluids or protect them from adverse effects (Palagi et al, 2017).…”

Section: Hybrid Machines At the Nanoscalementioning

confidence: 99%

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Biohybrid robotics: From the nanoscale to the macroscale

Mestre

Patiño

Sánchez

2021

WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol

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Biohybrid robotics is a field in which biological entities are combined with artificial materials in order to obtain improved performance or features that are difficult to mimic with hand‐made materials. Three main level of integration can be envisioned depending on the complexity of the biological entity, ranging from the nanoscale to the macroscale. At the nanoscale, enzymes that catalyze biocompatible reactions can be used as power sources for self‐propelled nanoparticles of different geometries and compositions, obtaining rather interesting active matter systems that acquire importance in the biomedical field as drug delivery systems. At the microscale, single enzymes are substituted by complete cells, such as bacteria or spermatozoa, whose self‐propelling capabilities can be used to transport cargo and can also be used as drug delivery systems, for in vitro fertilization practices or for biofilm removal. Finally, at the macroscale, the combinations of millions of cells forming tissues can be used to power biorobotic devices or bioactuators by using muscle cells. Both cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue have been part of remarkable examples of untethered biorobots that can crawl or swim due to the contractions of the tissue and current developments aim at the integration of several types of tissue to obtain more realistic biomimetic devices, which could lead to the next generation of hybrid robotics. Tethered bioactuators, however, result in excellent candidates for tissue models for drug screening purposes or the study of muscle myopathies due to their three‐dimensional architecture. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hybrid Machines At the Nanoscalementioning

confidence: 99%

Biohybrid robotics: From the nanoscale to the macroscale

Mestre

Patiño

Sánchez

2021

WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol

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“…is different from that in Newtonian fluid. Physicochemical and histological barriers (e.g., cell membrane, blood–brain barrier, intestinal mucosal barrier), interactions with boundaries, crowded biological environments, complex rheology (e.g., viscoelasticity, shear-thinning), and other factors impact the locomotion behaviors and application performance of micro/nanorobots in biological environments. − Attempts have been made to exploit the actuation of MagRobots in complex biofluids. For example, to overcome the mucus barrier, Peer Fischer’s group developed a helical microdriller surface-functionalized with urease as shown in Figure E.…”

Section: Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnetically Driven Micro and Nanorobots

et al. 2021

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Manipulation and navigation of micro and nanoswimmers in different fluid environments can be achieved by chemicals, external fields, or even motile cells. Many researchers have selected magnetic fields as the active external actuation source based on the advantageous features of this actuation strategy such as remote and spatiotemporal control, fuel-free, high degree of reconfigurability, programmability, recyclability, and versatility. This review introduces fundamental concepts and advantages of magnetic micro/nanorobots (termed here as “MagRobots”) as well as basic knowledge of magnetic fields and magnetic materials, setups for magnetic manipulation, magnetic field configurations, and symmetry-breaking strategies for effective movement. These concepts are discussed to describe the interactions between micro/nanorobots and magnetic fields. Actuation mechanisms of flagella-inspired MagRobots (i.e., corkscrew-like motion and traveling-wave locomotion/ciliary stroke motion) and surface walkers (i.e., surface-assisted motion), applications of magnetic fields in other propulsion approaches, and magnetic stimulation of micro/nanorobots beyond motion are provided followed by fabrication techniques for (quasi-)spherical, helical, flexible, wire-like, and biohybrid MagRobots. Applications of MagRobots in targeted drug/gene delivery, cell manipulation, minimally invasive surgery, biopsy, biofilm disruption/eradication, imaging-guided delivery/therapy/surgery, pollution removal for environmental remediation, and (bio)sensing are also reviewed. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives for the development of magnetically powered miniaturized motors are discussed.

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“…After protein binding, surface charges became negative confirming the successful attachment of BSA (−11.2 ± 0.3 mV), urease (−9.6 ± 0.4 mV), and hyaluronidase (−11.7 ± 0.8 mV), which were in agreement with the isoelectric values of the proteins. [34][35][36] In addition to the z-potential becoming negative, enzyme attachment was also confirmed using a BCA kit assay that quantifies the amount of attached proteins from the reduction of copper by the proteins' peptide bonds. The amount of protein attached was 90.9 ± 0.8 and 184.5 ± 14.8 mg mL −1 for urease and hyaluronidase NMs, respectively (Figure S1, Supporting Information) (N = 3, results are shown as mean ± SD).…”

Section: Fabrication and Characterization Of Enzyme-powered Nanomotorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Swarms of Enzyme‐Powered Nanomotors Enhance the Diffusion of Macromolecules in Viscous Media

Ruiz‐González,

Esporrín‐Ubieto,

Hortelao

et al. 2024

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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.

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Micro- and nanorobots in Newtonian and biological viscoelastic fluids

Cited by 9 publications

References 62 publications

Biohybrid robotics: From the nanoscale to the macroscale

Biohybrid robotics: From the nanoscale to the macroscale

Magnetically Driven Micro and Nanorobots

Swarms of Enzyme‐Powered Nanomotors Enhance the Diffusion of Macromolecules in Viscous Media

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