Article Synopsis

  • Polymersomes with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties are being developed as fluorescent nanoparticles for imaging and treatment in biomedical applications.
  • The study focuses on creating cucurbit-shaped AIE polymersome nanomotors that can move due to enzyme-powered motility, enhancing their functionality compared to traditional spherical designs.
  • These innovative nanomotors exhibit structural asymmetry, which allows for improved active delivery systems, making them a promising tool for future medical applications.

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Article Abstract

Polymersomes that incorporate aggregation-induced emission (AIE) moieties are attractive inherently fluorescent nanoparticles with biomedical application potential for cell/tissue imaging and tracking, as well as phototherapeutics. An intriguing feature that has not been explored yet is their ability to adopt a range of asymmetric morphologies. Structural asymmetry allows nanoparticles to be exploited as active (motile) systems. Here, we present the design and preparation of AIE fluorophore integrated (AIEgenic) cucurbit-shaped polymersome nanomotors with enzyme-powered motility. The cucurbit scaffold was constructed via morphology engineering of biodegradable fluorescent AIE-polymersomes, followed by functionalization with enzymatic machinery via a layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly process. Because of the enzyme-mediated decomposition of chemical fuel on the cucurbit-like nanomotor surface, enhanced directed motion was attained, when compared with the spherical counterparts. These cucurbit-shaped biodegradable AIE-nanomotors provide a promising platform for the development of active delivery systems with potential for biomedical applications.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8613902PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.1c07343DOI Listing

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