Cubic nano-silver-decorated manganese dioxide micromotors: enhanced propulsion and antibacterial performance

Recent advances in micro/nanomotors for antibacterial applications

Currently, the rapid spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria derived from the indiscriminate use of traditional antibiotics poses a significant threat to public health worldwide. Moreover, established bacterial biofilms are extremely difficult to eradicate because of their high tolerance to traditional antimicrobial agents and extraordinary resistance to phagocytosis. Hence, it is of universal significance to develop novel robust and efficient antibacterial strategies to combat bacterial infections. Micro/nanomotors exhibit many intriguing properties, including enhanced mass transfer and micro-mixing resulting from their locomotion, intrinsic antimicrobial capabilities, active cargo delivery, and targeted treatment with precise micromanipulation, which facilitate the targeted delivery of antimicrobials to infected sites and their deep permeation into sites of bacterial biofilms for fast inactivation. Thus, the ideal antimicrobial activity of antibacterial micro/nanorobots makes them desirable alternatives to traditional antimicrobial treatments and has aroused extensive interest in recent years. In this review, recent advancements in antibacterial micro/nanomotors are briefly summarized, focusing on their synthetic methods, propulsion mechanism, and versatile antibacterial applications. Finally, some personal insights into the current challenges and possible future directions to translate proof-of-concept research to clinic application are proposed.

Thermal-Accelerated Urease-Driven Bowl-Like Polydopamine Nanorobot for Targeted Photothermal/Photodynamic Antibiotic-Free Antibacterial Therapy

The problem of antibiotic resistance seriously affects the treatment of bacterial infections, so there is an urgent need to develop novel antibiotic-independent antimicrobial strategies. Herein, a urease-driven bowl-like mesoporous polydopamine nanorobot (MPDA@ICG@Ur@Man) based on single-wavelength near-infrared (NIR) remote photothermal acceleration to achieve antibiotic-free phototherapy(photothermal therapy, PTT, plus photodynamic therapy, PDT) is first reported. The smart nanorobots can perform active movement by decomposing urea to produce carbon dioxide and ammonia. Particularly, the elevated local temperature during PTT can increase urease activity to enhance the autonomous movement and thus increase the contact between the antimicrobial substance and bacteria. Compared with a nanomotor propelled by urea only, the diffusion coefficient (De) of photothermal-accelerated nanorobots is increased from 1.10 to 1.26 µm2 s-1. More importantly, urease-driven bowl-like nanorobots with photothermal enhancement can specifically identify Escherichia coli (E. coli) and achieve simultaneous PTT/PDT at a single wavelength with 99% antibactericidal activity in vitro. In a word, the urease-driven bowl-like nanorobots guided by photothermal-accelerated strategy could provide a novel perspective for increasing PTT/PDT antibacterial therapeutic efficacy and be promising for various antibiotic-free sterilization applications.

Micro/nanorobots for remediation of water resources and aquatic life

Nowadays, global water scarcity is becoming a pressing issue, and the discharge of various pollutants leads to the biological pollution of water bodies, which further leads to the poisoning of living organisms. Consequently, traditional water treatment methods are proving inadequate in addressing the growing demands of various industries. As an effective and eco-friendly water treatment method, micro/nanorobots is making significant advancements. Based on researches conducted between 2019 and 2023 in the field of water pollution using micro/nanorobots, this paper comprehensively reviews the development of micro/nanorobots in water pollution control from multiple perspectives, including propulsion methods, decontamination mechanisms, experimental techniques, and water monitoring. Furthermore, this paper highlights current challenges and provides insights into the future development of the industry, providing guidance on biological water pollution control.

Antibacterial micro/nanomotors: advancing biofilm research to support medical applications

Multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections are gradually increasing in the global scope, causing a serious burden to patients and society. The formation of bacterial biofilms, which is one of the key reasons for antibiotic resistance, blocks antibiotic penetration by forming a physical barrier. Nano/micro motors (MNMs) are micro-/nanoscale devices capable of performing complex tasks in the bacterial microenvironment by transforming various energy sources (including chemical fuels or external physical fields) into mechanical motion or actuation. This autonomous movement provides significant advantages in breaking through biological barriers and accelerating drug diffusion. In recent years, MNMs with high penetrating power have been used as carriers of antibiotics to overcome bacterial biofilms, enabling efficient drug delivery and improving the therapeutic effectiveness of MDR bacterial infections. Additionally, non-antibiotic antibacterial strategies based on nanomaterials, such as photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy, are continuously being developed due to their non-invasive nature, high effectiveness, and non-induction of resistance. Therefore, multifunctional MNMs have broad prospects in the treatment of MDR bacterial infections. This review discusses the performance of MNMs in the breakthrough and elimination of bacterial biofilms, as well as their application in the field of anti-infection. Finally, the challenges and future development directions of antibacterial MNMs are introduced.

Ficin-Cyclodextrin-Based Docking Nanoarchitectonics of Self-Propelled Nanomotors for Bacterial Biofilm Eradication

Development of bioinspired nanomotors showing effective propulsion and cargo delivery capabilities has attracted much attention in the last few years due to their potential use in biomedical applications. However, implementation of this technology in realistic settings is still a barely explored field. Herein, we report the design and application of a multifunctional gated Janus platinum-mesoporous silica nanomotor constituted of a propelling element (platinum nanodendrites) and a drug-loaded nanocontainer (mesoporous silica nanoparticle) capped with ficin enzyme modified with β-cyclodextrins (β-CD). The engineered nanomotor is designed to effectively disrupt bacterial biofilms via H₂O₂-induced self-propelled motion, ficin hydrolysis of the extracellular polymeric matrix (EPS) of the biofilm, and controlled pH-triggered cargo (vancomycin) delivery. The effective synergic antimicrobial activity of the nanomotor is demonstrated in the elimination of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms. The nanomotor achieves 82% of EPS biomass disruption and a 96% reduction in cell viability, which contrasts with a remarkably lower reduction in biofilm elimination when the components of the nanomotors are used separately at the same concentrations. Such a large reduction in biofilm biomass in S. aureus has never been achieved previously by any conventional therapy. The strategy proposed suggests that engineered nanomotors have great potential for the elimination of biofilms.

On Nanomachines and Their Future Perspectives in Biomedicine

Nano/micromotors are a class of active matter that can self-propel converting different types of input energy into kinetic energy. The huge efforts that are made in this field over the last years result in remarkable advances. Specifically, a high number of publications have dealt with biomedical applications that these motors may offer. From the first attempts in 2D cell cultures, the research has evolved to tissue and in vivo experimentation, where motors show promising results. In this Perspective, an overview over the evolution of motors with focus on bio-relevant environments is provided. Then, a discussion on the advances and challenges is presented, and eventually some remarks and perspectives of the field are outlined.

Rapid degradation of organic pollutants by Fe3O4@PDA/Ag catalyst in advanced oxidation process

Over the past decades, the development of novel catalysts on the degradation of organic pollutants has attracted increasing attention. In this work, we synthesized silver decorated magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@PDA/Ag NPs) to activate H₂O₂ for organic pollutants removal via advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). The catalyst was prepared through in-situ reduction of AgNO₃ by the polydopamine (PDA) layer on Fe₃O₄ NPs. Chemiluminescence results obtained from luminol/H₂O₂ system revealed that the catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic effect on the decomposition of H₂O₂ into reactive oxygen species (ROS) and superoxide radical (O₂^-) was mainly responsible for the oxidative degradation. Importantly, the fast evolution frequency of oxygen gas bubbles produced in the reaction of Ag NPs and H₂O₂ could generate vigorous fluid convection and autonomous motion of catalyst when H₂O₂ concentration reached 1%. Additionally, the catalyst can suspend in solution for several minutes. Therefore, by coupling the vigorous motion with slow sedimentation velocity, the catalyst can realize rapid degradation of organic pollutants without external mixing force. The Fe₃O₄@PDA/Ag NPs catalysts not only showed a high removal efficiency of malachite green, but also can be applied for the degradation of other dyes, making it to be a promise candidate for environmental remediation. With the merits of excellent catalytic effect, fast degradation speed, and simplicity of operation, the prepared catalysts exhibits great potential in the practical field.

Manganese dioxide nanosheet-containing reactors as antioxidant support for neuroblastoma cells

Supporting mammalian cells against reactive oxygen species such as hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is essential. Bottom-up synthetic biology aims to integrate designed artificial units with mammalian cells. Here, we used manganese dioxide nanosheets (MnO₂-NSs) as catalytically active entities that have superoxide dismutase-like and catalase-like activities. The integration of these MnO₂-NSs into 7 μm reactors was able to assist SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells when stressed with H₂O₂. Complementary, Janus-shaped 800 nm reactors with one hemisphere coated with MnO₂-NSs showed directed locomotion in cell media with top speeds up to 50 μm s^-1 when exposed to 300 mM H₂O₂ as a fuel, while reactors homogeneously coated with MnO₂-NSs were not able to outperform Brownian motion. These Janus-shaped reactors were able to remove H₂O₂ from the media, protecting cells cultured in the proximity. This effort advanced the use of bottom-up synthetic biology concepts in neuroscience.

Vector-Controlled Wheel-Like Magnetic Swarms With Multimodal Locomotion and Reconfigurable Capabilities

Inspired by the biological collective behaviors of nature, artificial microrobotic swarms have exhibited environmental adaptability and tasking capabilities for biomedicine and micromanipulation. Complex environments are extremely relevant to the applications of microswarms, which are expected to travel in blood vessels, reproductive and digestive tracts, and microfluidic chips. Here we present a strategy that reconfigures paramagnetic nanoparticles into a vector-controlled microswarm with 3D collective motions by programming sawtooth magnetic fields. Horizontal swarms can be manipulated to stand vertically and swim like a wheel by adjusting the direction of magnetic-field plane. Compared with horizontal swarms, vertical wheel-like swarms were evaluated to be of approximately 15-fold speed increase and enhanced maneuverability, which was exhibited by striding across complex 3D confinements. Based on analysis of collective behavior of magnetic particles in flow field using molecular dynamics methods, a rotary stepping mechanism was proposed to address the formation and locomotion mechanisms of wheel-like swarm. we present a strategy that actuates swarms to stand and hover in situ under a programming swing magnetic fields, which provides suitable solutions to travel across confined space with unexpected changes, such as stepped pipes. By biomimetic design from fin motion of fish, wheel-like swarms were endowed with multi-modal locomotion and load-carrying capabilities. This design of intelligent microswarms that adapt to complicated biological environments can promote the applications ranging from the construction of smart and multifunctional materials to biomedical engineering.

Micro-/Nanorobots in Antimicrobial Applications: Recent Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities

The evolution of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria remains one of the most urgent threats to public health worldwide. Even worse, the bacterial cells commonly form biofilms through aggregation and adhesion, preventing antibiotic penetration and resisting environmental stress. Moreover, biofilms tend to grow in some hard-to-reach regions, bringing difficulty for antibiotic delivery at the infected site. The drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria and intractable biofilm give rise to chronic and recurrent infections, exacerbating the challenge in combating bacterial infections. Micro/nanorobots (MNRs) are capable of active cargo delivery, targeted treatment with high precision, and motion-assisted mechanical force, which enable transport and enhance penetration of antibacterial agents into the targeted site, thus showing great promise in emerging as an attractive alternative to conventional antibacterial therapies. This review summarizes the recent advances in micro-/nanorobots for antibacterial applications, with emphasis on those novel strategies for drug-resistance bacterium and stubborn biofilm infections. Insights on the future development of MNRs with good functionality and biosafety offer promising approaches to address infections in the clinic setting.

Tri-functional SERS nanoplatform with tunable plasmonic property for synergistic antibacterial activity and antibacterial process monitoring

Strategies integrating synergistic high-efficiency bacterial killing and antibacterial process monitoring capability are desirable. Herein, a tri-functional surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) nanoplatform, namely 4-mercaptobenzoic acid-encoded gold nanorods@silver coated with a layer of bovine serum albumin (AuNRs@Ag@4-MBA@BSA), with excellent biocompatibility, stability, tunable plasmonic property and activatable photothermal effect is introduced for Ag⁺/photothermal therapy (PTT) synergistic antibacterial activity and antibacterial process monitoring. An exogenous etchant is used to controllably model the physiological process of metallic silver biodegradation. Ag shell etching causes the surface plasmon resonance band of SERS nanotags to red-shift to near-infrared region, activates the photothermal conversion capability, and triggers PTT, which in turn accelerates Ag shell etching. The antibacterial rates for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli after 10 min treatment can achieve 99.5% and 99.9%, respectively. Furthermore, the near-field effect and ultrasensitive property render the SERS intensity decrease ratio is dependent on Ag shell etching as well as temperature rising and thus relevant to antibacterial activity. We have demonstrated a strong correlation between SERS signal and antibacterial effect, and have verified the possibility of antibacterial process monitoring in vitro using SERS-based methodology. We envision that our integrated strategy being used for in vivo high-efficiency bacterial killing and antibacterial process monitoring.

Manganese oxide nanomaterials for bacterial infection detection and therapy

Bacterial infection has received substantial attention and poses a serious threat to human health. Although antibiotics can effectively fight against bacterial infection, the occurrence of antibiotic resistance has become increasingly serious in recent years, which tremendously hinders its clinical application. Consequently, it is urgent to explore novel strategies to achieve efficacious treatment of bacterial diagnosis and detection. Manganese dioxide (MnO₂) nanomaterial has been extensively reported in tumor therapy. Nevertheless, there are few antibacterial reviews of MnO₂. Herein, we will discuss the applications of MnO₂ in the detection and treatment of bacterial infection, including photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy, improvement of hypoxia, dual-modal combination therapy, reactive oxygen species scavenging, magnetic resonance imaging, optical application of acoustic imaging, and so forth. This review is expected to provide meaningful guidance on further research of MnO₂ nanomaterial for antibacterial applications.

Enhanced Spontaneous Antibacterial Activity of δ-MnO2 by Alkali Metals Doping

Recently, the widespread use of antibiotics is becoming a serious worldwide public health challenge, which causes antimicrobial resistance and the occurrence of superbugs. In this context, MnO₂ has been proposed as an alternative approach to achieve target antibacterial properties on Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans). This requires a further understanding on how to control and optimize antibacterial properties in these systems. We address this challenge by synthesizing δ-MnO₂ nanoflowers doped by magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and potassium (K) ions, thus displaying different bandgaps, to evaluate the effect of doping on the bacterial viability of S. mutans. All these samples demonstrated antibacterial activity from the spontaneous generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) without external illumination, where doped MnO₂ can provide free electrons to induce the production of ROS, resulting in the antibacterial activity. Furthermore, it was observed that δ-MnO₂ with narrower bandgap displayed a superior ability to inhibit bacteria. The enhancement is mainly attributed to the higher doping levels, which provided more free electrons to generate ROS for antibacterial effects. Moreover, we found that δ-MnO₂ was attractive for in vivo applications, because it could nearly be degraded into Mn ions completely following the gradual addition of vitamin C. We believe that our results may provide meaningful insights for the design of inorganic antibacterial nanomaterials.

Shape-controlled Mn–Fe PBA derived micromotors for organic pollutant removal

A new strategy is employed to prepare Mn–Fe PBA derived oxide micromotors with excellent motion performances through co-precipitation and heat treatment, which can be used for organic pollutant degradation with recycling and reusing advantages.

Manganese-Based Micro/Nanomotors: Synthesis, Motion, and Applications

As emerging micro/nano-scale devices, micro/nanomotors have been innovatively applied in the environmental and biomedical applications. In this paper, the recent advances of Mn-based micro/nanomotors (Mn-micro/nanomotors) in catalytic oxidation of organic contaminants and the mechanisms in decomposition of H₂ O₂ (e.g., the generation of O₂ bubbles and reactive oxygen species) are reviewed. The intrinsic characteristics and synthetic strategies of Mn-based materials are discussed, aiming to gain comprehensive understandings on the asymmetric design of micro/nanomotors. Mn-micro/nanomotors have many advantages such as flexible structures, biocompatibility, powerful motion, long lifetime, and low-cost as compared to noble-metal micro/nanomotors. These merits fulfil Mn-micro/nanomotors great promises from proof-of-concept studies to realistic applications, including pollutant decomposition, trace detection of heavy metal ions, oil removal, drug delivery, isolation of biological targets, and killing bacteria and cancer cells. The great flexibility in fabrication enables diverse and innovative strategies to address challenges for Mn-micro/nanomotors, including high consumption of H₂ O₂ and non-directional motion. Meanwhile, a perspective of Mn-micro/nanomotors in water remediation by coupling the motors with other Fenton/Fenton-like systems to enhance the catalytic activity and to yield more reactive oxygen species is presented. Directions to the design of on-demand H₂ O₂ -fueled Mn-micro/nanomotors for advanced purification of organic contaminants in aquatic systems are also proposed.

Simultaneous Removal of Antibiotics and Heavy Metals with Poly(Aspartic Acid)-Based Fenton Micromotors

The discharge of diverse pollutants has led to a complex water environment and posed a huge health threat to humans and animals. Self-propelled micromotors have recently attracted considerable attention for efficient water remediation due to their strong localized mass transfer effect. However, a single functionalized component is difficult to tackle with multiple contaminants and requires to combine different decontamination effects together. Here, we introduced a multifunctional micromotor to implement the adsorption and degradation roles simultaneously by integrating the poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) adsorbent with a MnO₂ -based catalyst. The as-prepared micromotors are well propelled in contaminated waters by MnO₂ catalyzing hydrogen peroxide. In addition, the catalytic ramsdellite MnO₂ (R-MnO₂ ) inner layer is decorated with Fe₂ O₃ nanoparticles to improve their catalytic performance, contributing to an excellent degradation ability with 90% tetracycline (TC) removal in 50 minutes by enhanced Fenton-like reactions. Combining the attractive adsorption capability of poly (aspartic acid) (PASP), the composite micromotors offer an efficient removal of heavy metal ions in short time. Moreover, the designed micromotors are able to simultaneously remove antibiotic and heavy metals in mixed contaminants circumstance just in single treatment. This multifunctional micromotor with distinctive decontamination ability exhibits a promising prospective in treating multiple pollutants in the future.