Force Generation by Enhanced Diffusion in Enzyme-Loaded Vesicles

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c00306
• Publication Date: 2025-03-26T20:26:26Z
• Authors: Eike Eberhard; Ludwig Burger; César L. Pastrana; Hamid Seyed-Allaei; Giovanni Giunta; Ulrich Gerland

The diffusion coefficient of some metabolic enzymes increases with the concentration their cognate substrate, a phenomenon known as enhanced diffusion. In presence substrate gradients, induces enzymatic drift, resulting in nonhomogeneous enzyme distribution. Here, we study effects on enzyme-loaded vesicles placed external gradients using combination computer simulations and analytical modeling. We observe that spatially inhomogeneous profiles generated by result pressure gradient across vesicle, which leads to macroscopically observable effects, namely deformation self-propulsion vesicle. Our model allows us characterize dependence velocity propulsion experimentally tunable parameters. predicted our work provide an avenue for further validation diffusion, might be leveraged design novel synthetic cargo transporters, such targeted drug delivery systems.