A Sub-Nanostructural Transformable Nanozyme for Tumor Photocatalytic Therapy

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Catalysis

Background:

• Natural enzymes regulate biological functions through structure-based activity.
• Artificial nanozymes lack precise spatiotemporal control over catalytic activity.
• Developing nanozymes with enzyme-like activity regulation is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a nanozyme with tunable catalytic activity via light-induced structural transformation.
• To mimic natural enzyme-like activity regulation in artificial systems.
• To create a platform for precise control of nanozyme activity for biomedical applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a sub-nanostructural transformable gold@ceria (STGC-PEG) nanozyme.
• Utilized near-infrared (NIR) light to induce sub-nanostructural transformation.
• Investigated the conversion between CeO2 and CeO2-x, and active oxygen vacancy generation.

Main Results:

• NIR light triggered hot electron generation and sub-nanostructural transformation in STGC-PEG.
• The structural transformation enhanced peroxidase-like activity.
• Unprecedented activation of plasmon-promoted oxidase-like activity was observed.
• Achieved efficient low-power NIR light-activated photocatalytic tumor therapy.

Conclusions:

• Atomic-level design enables light-mediated sub-nanostructural transformation for tunable nanozyme activity.
• The STGC-PEG nanozyme offers a promising platform for precise catalytic activity control.
• This approach approaches natural enzyme-like activity control in complex biological systems.