Paclitaxel-conjugated phenylboronic acid-enriched catalytic robots as smart drug delivery systems

Artificial motors (robots) that are inspired by natural motors have captivated much attention with their attractive performances and special features. These miniaturized nano/micromotors have succeeded many important tasks in different fields including (bio)sensing, cargo transport, cell isolation and trapping, nanosurgery, gene therapy, and drug delivery. Herein, paclitaxel (PTX)-conjugated robots consisted of poly(3-aminophenylboronic acid) outer layer, a platinum (Pt)-nickel (Ni) segment, and a Pt catalytic inner layer were constructed to demonstrate their effective use for smart drug delivery. These self-functionalized motors had effective and smooth autonomous movement at velocities of 44 +/- 9 mm/s and 34 +/- 4 mm/s after 6 and 12 h of drug incubation steps. Fabrication of these motors was relied on electrochemical protocols, and the drug loading process was carried out by the interaction of the anti-tumor agent with the outer polymeric layer of the robots. Targeted delivery of the drug was achieved by the controlled driven of the robots toward human breast cancer cell line via induced Near-Infrared irradiation (NIR). pH dependency of the system was also demonstrated at acidic pH values. It was shown that the near-infrared irradiation increased the efficiency of the drug release through the poly-meric robots. Polymeric robots showed promising viability results by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide tetrazolium reduction (MTT) assays in order to signify potential and practical applications.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.