Ionic Species Affect the Self-Propulsion of Urease-Powered Micromotors

Enzyme-powered motors self-propel through the catalysis of in situ bioavailable fuels, which makes them excellent candidates for biomedical applications. However, fundamental issues like their motion in biological fluids and the understanding of the propulsion mechanism are critical aspects to be ta...

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Main Authors: Xavier Arqué, Xavier Andrés, Rafael Mestre, Bernard Ciraulo, Jaime Ortega Arroyo, Romain Quidant, Tania Patiño, Samuel Sánchez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2020-01-01
Series:Research
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2020/2424972
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author Xavier Arqué
Xavier Andrés
Rafael Mestre
Bernard Ciraulo
Jaime Ortega Arroyo
Romain Quidant
Tania Patiño
Samuel Sánchez
author_facet Xavier Arqué
Xavier Andrés
Rafael Mestre
Bernard Ciraulo
Jaime Ortega Arroyo
Romain Quidant
Tania Patiño
Samuel Sánchez
author_sort Xavier Arqué
collection DOAJ
description Enzyme-powered motors self-propel through the catalysis of in situ bioavailable fuels, which makes them excellent candidates for biomedical applications. However, fundamental issues like their motion in biological fluids and the understanding of the propulsion mechanism are critical aspects to be tackled before a future application in biomedicine. Herein, we investigated the physicochemical effects of ionic species on the self-propulsion of urease-powered micromotors. Results showed that the presence of PBS, NaOH, NaCl, and HEPES reduced self-propulsion of urease-powered micromotors pointing towards ion-dependent mechanisms of motion. We studied the 3D motion of urease micromotors using digital holographic microscopy to rule out any motor-surface interaction as the cause of motion decay when salts are present in the media. In order to protect and minimize the negative effect of ionic species on micromotors’ performance, we coated the motors with methoxypolyethylene glycol amine (mPEG) showing higher speed compared to noncoated motors at intermediate ionic concentrations. These results provide new insights into the mechanism of urease-powered micromotors, study the effect of ionic media, and contribute with potential solutions to mitigate the reduction of mobility of enzyme-powered micromotors.
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spelling doaj.art-61cd728473fa41d0a126d56a5810dc492024-03-03T05:03:46ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Research2639-52742020-01-01202010.34133/2020/2424972Ionic Species Affect the Self-Propulsion of Urease-Powered MicromotorsXavier Arqué0Xavier Andrés1Rafael Mestre2Bernard Ciraulo3Jaime Ortega Arroyo4Romain Quidant5Tania Patiño6Samuel Sánchez7Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, SpainInstitute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, SpainInstitute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, SpainInstitute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Carl Friedrich Gauss 3, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, SpainInstitute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Carl Friedrich Gauss 3, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, SpainInstitute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Carl Friedrich Gauss 3, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, SpainInstitute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Chemistry Department, University of Rome, Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 00133 Rome, ItalyInstitute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, SpainEnzyme-powered motors self-propel through the catalysis of in situ bioavailable fuels, which makes them excellent candidates for biomedical applications. However, fundamental issues like their motion in biological fluids and the understanding of the propulsion mechanism are critical aspects to be tackled before a future application in biomedicine. Herein, we investigated the physicochemical effects of ionic species on the self-propulsion of urease-powered micromotors. Results showed that the presence of PBS, NaOH, NaCl, and HEPES reduced self-propulsion of urease-powered micromotors pointing towards ion-dependent mechanisms of motion. We studied the 3D motion of urease micromotors using digital holographic microscopy to rule out any motor-surface interaction as the cause of motion decay when salts are present in the media. In order to protect and minimize the negative effect of ionic species on micromotors’ performance, we coated the motors with methoxypolyethylene glycol amine (mPEG) showing higher speed compared to noncoated motors at intermediate ionic concentrations. These results provide new insights into the mechanism of urease-powered micromotors, study the effect of ionic media, and contribute with potential solutions to mitigate the reduction of mobility of enzyme-powered micromotors.http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2020/2424972
spellingShingle Xavier Arqué
Xavier Andrés
Rafael Mestre
Bernard Ciraulo
Jaime Ortega Arroyo
Romain Quidant
Tania Patiño
Samuel Sánchez
Ionic Species Affect the Self-Propulsion of Urease-Powered Micromotors
Research
title Ionic Species Affect the Self-Propulsion of Urease-Powered Micromotors
title_full Ionic Species Affect the Self-Propulsion of Urease-Powered Micromotors
title_fullStr Ionic Species Affect the Self-Propulsion of Urease-Powered Micromotors
title_full_unstemmed Ionic Species Affect the Self-Propulsion of Urease-Powered Micromotors
title_short Ionic Species Affect the Self-Propulsion of Urease-Powered Micromotors
title_sort ionic species affect the self propulsion of urease powered micromotors
url http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/2020/2424972
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