Beyond Enzyme Mimics: Engineering Photo-Responsive Nanozymes for Therapeutic Innovation

Nanozymes, which mimic the catalytic functions of natural enzymes, have attracted increasing attention because of their high stability, low cost, and scalable synthesis. However, their clinical potential is often constrained by their limited catalytic efficiency and poor substrate specificity. Recent developments in photo-responsive nanozymes offer a promising solution by integrating photocatalytic and photo-synergistic mechanisms to enhance activity and spatiotemporal control. These systems utilize photo-induced charge separation, reactive oxygen species generation, and auxiliary photothermal or photodynamic effects to improve catalytic outcomes. By utilizing these photo-responsive mechanisms, various nanozyme systems comprising plasmonic metals, metal oxides, semiconductors, and metal-organic frameworks exhibit enhanced catalytic functions and outstanding therapeutic performance in cancer treatment, infection control, immune modulation, and tissue repair. This review summarizes recent advances in the design and application of photo-responsive nanozymes and highlights the remaining challenges for clinical translation, and thus positioning them as a next-generation strategy for precision biocatalysis and disease intervention.