Magnetic biohybrid micromotors with high maneuverability for efficient drug loading and targeted drug delivery

Abstract

Recent progress of untethered mobile micromotors has shown immense potential for targeted drug delivery in vivo. However, designing a wireless micromotor with high maneuverability and biocompatibility and achieving controlled drug release with high efficiency at a specific position remains a great challenge. Herein, we present a pine pollen-based micromotor (PPBM) and demonstrate its potential application as a cargo carrier for targeted drug delivery. These multifunctional biohybrid micromotors were massively and inexpensively fabricated by the encapsulation of magnetic particles (Fe₃O₄) and medicine into the two hollow air sacs of pine pollen, via vacuum loading. PPBMs successfully inherit the intrinsic functionalities of pine pollen: structural uniformity, morphological stability, biocompatibility, autofluorescence (AF) and physicochemical robustness. Under an external magnetic field, the loaded Fe₃O₄ enables individual and swarm PPBMs to propel precisely in complex biological fluids. Capitalizing on the magnetic nanoparticle aggregation phenomenon under a powerful magnetic field, controlled release of the therapeutic cargo is achieved using a fluid field generated by the rotating magnetic agglomerate. The biohybrid micromotors reported here turn natural pine pollen into active and controllable cargo carriers for biomedical applications.