Micromotors Spontaneously Neutralize Gastric Acid for pH-Responsive Payload Release.

ABSTRACT: The highly acidic gastric environment creates a physiological barrier for using therapeutic drugs in the stomach. While proton pump inhibitors have been widely used for blocking acid-producing enzymes, this approach can cause various adverse effects. Reported herein is a new microdevice, consisting of magnesium-based micromotors which can autonomously and temporally neutralize gastric acid through efficient chemical propulsion in the gastric fluid by rapidly depleting the localized protons. Coating these micromotors with a cargo-containing pH-responsive polymer layer leads to autonomous release of the encapsulated payload upon gastric-acid neutralization by the motors. Testing in a mouse model demonstrate that these motors can safely and rapidly neutralize gastric acid and simultaneously r

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5511515 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature