Chemotactic Zn micromotor for treatment of high blood ammonia-associated hepatic encephalopathy

Ye Feng, Chao Gao, Xiuyun Peng, Bin Chen, Miaomiao Ding, Dailing Du, Jinghui Rong, Qi Lv, Daniela A. Wilson, Yingfeng Tu and Fei Peng ()
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Ye Feng: Sun Yat-sen University
Chao Gao: Sun Yat-sen University
Xiuyun Peng: Lishui People’s Hospital
Bin Chen: Sun Yat-sen University
Miaomiao Ding: Sun Yat-sen University
Dailing Du: Sun Yat-sen University
Jinghui Rong: Sun Yat-sen University
Qi Lv: Sun Yat-sen University
Daniela A. Wilson: Radboud University
Yingfeng Tu: Southern Medical University
Fei Peng: Sun Yat-sen University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-22

Abstract: Abstract Hepatic fibrosis involves hepatocyte damage, causing blood ammonia accumulation, which exacerbates liver pathology and crosses the blood-brain barrier, inducing hepatic encephalopathy. It is meaningful to construct a therapeutic platform for targeted ammonia clearance. In this work, a biocompatible water-powered Zn micromotor is constructed as an ammonia chemotaxis platform, which can be actuated by the water splitting reaction and the self-generated Zn2+ gradient. It can propel towards NH3·H2O source through the formation of complex ions [Zn(NH3)1](OH)+ and [Zn(NH3)2](OH)+, representing a generalizable chemotaxis strategy via coordination reaction. In vivo, biomimetic collective behavior allows precise navigation and reduction of the intrahepatic ammonia level, reshaping the pathological microenvironment. This mechanism, operating in a green, zero-waste manner, facilitates integration of these micromotors into the domain of biological regulation. Such environment environment-adaptive platform is favorable for targeted treatment of hepatic fibrosis and hepatic encephalopathy caused by hyperammonemia, which is expected to provide inspiration for future personalized and precision medicine.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59650-0

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