Innovative Strategies to Overcome Stability Challenges of Single-Atom Nanozymes

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Catalysis

Background:

• Single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes) offer high catalytic efficiency due to maximized atom utilization and controlled metal-carrier interactions.
• SAzymes have garnered significant interest for diverse biomedical applications.
• Stability remains a critical hurdle for the clinical translation of SAzymes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of SAzyme applications in biomedicine.
• To discuss the inherent stability challenges associated with SAzymes.
• To propose innovative strategies for enhancing SAzyme stability and clinical viability.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of SAzyme applications in disease diagnosis, antitumor therapy, antimicrobial therapy, and anti-oxidative stress therapy.
• Analysis of SAzyme stability issues including atom clustering, active site loss, and environmental tolerance.
• Exploration of proposed solutions such as synthesis optimization, surface modification, and dynamic responsive design.

Main Results:

• SAzymes are effective in biosensing, diagnostic imaging, photothermal/photodynamic/sonodynamic/immunotherapy, antimicrobial treatments, and combating oxidative stress.
• Key challenges include metal atom aggregation, active site degradation, ligand instability, poor environmental tolerance, and biosecurity risks.
• Strategies like space-limited synthesis, defect engineering, surface functionalization, and responsive design can improve SAzyme robustness.

Conclusions:

• SAzymes possess significant potential for advanced biomedical applications.
• Addressing stability concerns through innovative strategies is crucial for their successful clinical translation.
• Optimized synthesis, surface engineering, and dynamic design are key to developing stable and clinically viable SAzymes.