Zinc microrocket pills: Fabrication and characterization toward active oral delivery

Summary

This proof-of-concept study integrates zinc microrockets into a swallowable pill to create active motion after oral administration. The pill was formulated to dissolve rapidly in the stomach and release many tubular zinc motors. Contact with gastric acid immediately powered their propulsion, and inactive pill excipients did not interfere with movement. In mice, the combination of rapid tablet dissolution and acid-driven motion increased retention of the microrockets within gastric tissue compared with a nonactive delivery context, without producing detectable toxic effects in the reported experiment. The principal finding is that autonomous microscale propulsion can survive incorporation into a practical oral dosage form and remain functional after release in the stomach. Rather than requiring an externally applied field, the platform uses the local gastric environment as fuel. Its significance is a bridge between micromotor technology and familiar pill administration, with potential to increase local contact or retention of future therapeutic cargos in the gastrointestinal tract. The abstract demonstrates fabrication, propulsion, and tissue retention but does not report delivery of an active medicine, therapeutic benefit, quantitative toxicology, clearance, or performance outside the mouse stomach.