pH-responsive glucose-powered Janus polymer brushes nanomotors for drug delivery and controlled release

Nanostructured drug delivery system (NDDS) has attracted significant attention from the scientific community due to their biocompatibility, stability and modifiability. However, the limited delivery efficiency and low delivery dosages of NDDS have been pressing issues for scientists. In this study, we develop glucose-powered Janus nanomotors (G@JAP@P-ADM) with enhanced diffusion, which is fabricated by formation of glucose oxidase (GOx) and poly[2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyltrimethylammonium chloride] (PMETAC) polymer brushes on opposite surface of gold-platinum (AP) NPs, and adriamycin (ADM) loading on PMETAC chains, and completed efficient drug and high dosages delivery via pH-responsive of the cation polymer brushes and the ADM drug. In glucose solutions, such nanomotors show the self-propulsion motion via cascade reaction and exhibit effective uptake capability to the cancer cells via enhanced diffusion. Fortunately, the cation PMETAC brushes not only enhance diffusion of the nanomotors, but also realize high dose ADM drug delivery via pH-responsive of electrostatic interactions and morphology transformations. Moreover, the ADM also can release itself from polymer chains of nanomotor via charge reversal of pH-responsive. Based on these advantages, the nanomotors increase the ADM drugs dosage at the cancer cell and promote apoptosis. Therefore, such glucose-driven nanomotors exhibit great potential for NDDS and supply novel strategies for enhancing the drug dosage and delivery efficiency.