Gastric Acid Powered Nanomotors Release Antibiotics for In Vivo Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection

Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection has ≈75% probability of causing gastric cancer, so it is considered to be the strongest single risk factor for gastric malignancies. However, the harsh gastric acid environment has created obstacles to medical treatment. This work reports a nanomotor with a bottle-shaped container that can be loaded with small molecules of clarithromycin, nano calcium peroxide (CaO 2 ), and Pt nanoparticles (Pt NPs) by ultrasound. Nanomotors can quickly consume gastric acid through the chemical reaction of CaO 2 to temporarily neutralize gastric acid. The product hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is catalytically decomposed into a large amount of oxygen (O 2 ) by Pt NPs. The local concentration gradient of O 2 bubbles causes it to be expelled from the nanobottles through a narrow opening, and then push the nanobottles forward to provide maximum release and prodrug efficacy. Experiments in animal models show that 15 mg nanomotors can safely and quickly neutralize gastric acid in the stomach and simultaneously release prodrugs to achieve good therapeutic effects without causing acute toxicity. H. pylori burden in mice was 2.6 orders of magnitude lower than that in the control group. The stomach returns to normal pH within 1 d after administration.