Self‐Propelled Asymmetrical Nanomotor for Self‐Reported Gas Therapy

Abstract Gas therapy has emerged as a new therapeutic strategy in combating cancer owing to its high therapeutic efficacy and biosafety. However, the clinical translation of gas therapy remains challenging due to the rapid diffusion and limited tissue penetration of therapeutic gases. Herein, a self‐propelled, asymmetrical Au@MnO 2 nanomotor for efficient delivery of therapeutic gas to deep‐seated cancer tissue for enhanced efficacy of gas therapy, is reported. The Au@MnO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) catalyze endogenous H 2 O 2 into O 2 that propels NPs into deep solid tumors, where SO 2 prodrug is released from the hollow NPs owing to the degradation of MnO 2 shells. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) is conjugated onto the surface of Au via caspase‐3 responsive peptide (DEVD) and the therapeutic process of gas therapy can be optically self‐reported by the fluorescence of FITC that is turned on in the presence of overexpressed caspase‐3 as an apoptosis indicator. Au@MnO 2 nanomotors show self‐reported therapeutic efficacy and high biocompatibility both in vitro and in vivo, offering important new insights to the design and development of novel nanomotors for efficient payload delivery into deep tumor tissue and in situ monitoring of the therapeutic process.