Nitrogen-Boosted H2O2 Production of Arginine-Polyphenol Nanozyme Drives Oxidative Eustress for Hair Regeneration
Yifei Wang1, Yaojia Yang1, Aoxue Wang2,3,4
1Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials of Ministry of Education, Frontiers Science Center for Materiobiology and Dynamic Chemistry, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
Abstract:
Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-triggered oxidative eustress can stimulate regenerative signaling, yet its therapeutic window remains narrow. Mitochondrial respiratory complexes and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are canonical enzymatic sources of intracellular H2O2. Here we report a biomimetic polyphenol-amino acid nanozyme (PEAs) that couples the semiquinone radical of coenzyme Q (ubiquinone) with the Arg143 residue of Zn/Cu-SOD1. Through self-assembling epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and L-arginine (L-Arg), PEAs enable O2 adsorption and activation with controlled H2O2 generation. The H2O2 output is finely tuned by modulating the nitrogen (N) content from L-Arg. Integrated experimental and computational analyses reveal that the N-sites introduced by L-Arg promote semiquinone electron delocalization, increase semiquinone abundance, thereby strengthening O2 adsorption, facilitating electron/proton transfer, and lowering the reaction barrier for H2O2 synthesis. Using the genetically encoded H2O2 sensor HyPerion, this work validates the sustained intracellular modulation of H2O2 by PEAs. In a mouse model of telogen effluvium, controlled H2O2 delivery activates the follicular niche via Wnt/β-catenin upregulation and Ca2+/calcineurin/NFAT downregulation, resulting in robust follicle activation and a non-pharmacological approach to alopecia therapy. This polyphenol-amino acid nanozyme therefore provides a safe and effective strategy for in vivo pro-oxidative modulation, offering a tunable H2O2-based platform to harness beneficial oxidative stress for tissue renewal.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Radical Autoxidation
Nitric Oxide Signaling Pathway
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox...
Oxygen Requirements and Growth Patterns
Peroxisomes
Oxygenic Photosynthesis


