Antioxidative 0-dimensional nanodrugs overcome obstacles in AKI antioxidant therapy

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a commonly encountered syndrome associated with various aetiologies and pathophysiological processes leading to enormous health risks and economic losses. In the absence of specific drugs to treat AKI, hemodialysis remains the primary clinical treatment for AKI patients. The revelation of the pathology opens new horizons for antioxidant therapy in the treatment of AKI. However, small molecule antioxidant drugs and common nanozymes have failed to challenge AKI due to their unsatisfactory drug properties and renal physiological barriers. 0-Dimensional (0D) antioxidant nanodrugs stand out at this time thanks to their small size and high performance. Recently, a number of research studies have been carried out around 0D nanodrugs for alleviating AKI, and their multi-antioxidant enzyme mimetic activities, smooth glomerular filtration barrier permeability and excellent biocompatibility have been investigated. Here, we comprehensively summarize recent advances in 0D nanodrugs for AKI antioxidant therapy. We classify these representative studies into three categories according to the characteristics of 0D nanomaterials, namely ultra-small metal nanodots, inorganic non-metallic quantum dots and polymer nanodots. We focus on the antioxidant mechanisms and their distribution in vivo in each inspiring work, and the purpose and ingenuity of each design are rigorously captured and described. Finally, we provide our reflections and prospects for 0D antioxidant nanodrugs in AKI treatment. This mini review provides unique insights and valuable clues in the design of 0D nanodrugs and other kidney absorbable drugs.