Nano/micromotors outperform Brownian motion due to their self-propulsive capabilities and hold promise as carriers for drug delivery across biological barriers such as the extracellular matrix. This study employs poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) polymer brushes to enhance the collagenase-loading capacity of silica particle-based motors with the aim to systematically investigate the impact of gelatine viscosity, motors’ size, and morphology on their propulsion velocity. Notably, 500 nm and 1 μm motors achieve similar speeds as high as ∼15 μm s⁻¹ in stiff gelatine-based hydrogels when triggered with calcium. Taken together, our findings highlight the potential of collagenase-based motors for navigating the extracellular matrix, positioning them as promising candidates for efficient drug delivery.

中文翻译：

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明胶水凝胶中的胶原酶马达

纳米/微电机因其自推进能力而优于布朗运动，并有望作为跨越细胞外基质等生物屏障的药物输送载体。本研究采用聚（2-（二乙基氨基）乙基甲基丙烯酸酯）聚合物刷来增强二氧化硅颗粒马达的胶原酶负载能力，旨在系统地研究明胶粘度、马达尺寸和形态对其推进速度的影响。值得注意的是，当用钙触发时，500 nm 和 1 μm 电机在硬明胶基水凝胶中可实现高达 ∼15 μm s ^-1的相似速度。总而言之，我们的研究结果强调了基于胶原酶的马达在细胞外基质中导航的潜力，使它们成为有效药物输送的有希望的候选者。