Enzyme-Mimic Nanomaterials in Biomedicine: Catalytic Mechanisms, Functional Platforms, and Translational Potential.
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
The emergence of enzyme-mimicking nanomaterials (nanozymes) represents a transformative development in biomedical research, offering catalytic versatility, enhanced stability, and cost-effective scalability compared to natural enzymes. This review consolidates current advances in the design, synthesis, and biomedical deployment of nanozymes, particularly those based on noble metals, metal oxides, and functional nanocomposites. A systematic comparative analysis was conducted across diverse studies to elucidate the catalytic mechanisms, structural-functional relationships, and environmental adaptability of these nanomaterials.
The literature was critically evaluated with emphasis on the physicochemical factors governing nanozyme activity such as particle size, surface ligands, and crystal facets and their modulation strategies. Trends indicate that noble metal nanoparticles (e.g., Au, Pt, Pd) and metal oxides (e.g., Fe₃O₄, CeO₂, V₂O₅) exhibit peroxidase, oxidase, and catalase-like functions, with performance often surpassing their biological counterparts under physiological conditions. Moreover, 2D nanomaterials and Prussian blue analogues demonstrate significant promise as tunable catalytic platforms.
Functionally, nanozymes are proving integral in areas such as tumor theranostics, antibacterial therapy, antioxidation, and bioorthogonal catalysis. Applications range from in situ ROS modulation for cancer treatment to programmable catalysis in cellular imaging and drug activation. Despite these advances, challenges remain in enhancing substrate specificity, minimizing cytotoxicity, and fully elucidating mechanistic pathways.
In conclusion, nanozymes hold substantial potential to reshape therapeutic and diagnostic modalities. Future research must focus on integrating simulation-driven design, expanding the scope of enzyme mimicry, and ensuring biosafety in complex biological environments. Addressing these gaps could accelerate the clinical translation of nanozyme-based technologies, establishing them as cornerstone tools in next-generation biomedical applications.
Downloads
References
Abdelhamid, H. N., Mahmoud, G. A. E., & Sharmouk, W. (2020). A cerium-based MOFzyme with multi-enzyme-like activity for the disruption and inhibition of fungal recolonization. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 8(33), 7548–7556. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0TB00894J
Abokyi, S., To, C. H., Lam, T. T., & Tse, D. Y. (2020). Central Role of Oxidative Stress in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Evidence from a Review of the Molecular Mechanisms and Animal Models. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/7901270
Aldrich, J. L., Panicker, A., Ovalle, R., & Sharma, B. (2023). Drug Delivery Strategies and Nanozyme Technologies to Overcome Limitations for Targeting Oxidative Stress in Osteoarthritis. Pharmaceuticals, 16(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/PH16071044
Alrobaian, M. (2023). Pegylated nanoceria: A versatile nanomaterial for noninvasive treatment of retinal diseases. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal : SPJ, 31(10), 101761. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JSPS.2023.101761
Bayda, S., Adeel, M., Tuccinardi, T., Cordani, M., & Rizzolio, F. (2020). The history of nanoscience and nanotechnology: From chemical-physical applications to nanomedicine. Molecules, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/MOLECULES25010112
Bird, R. E., Lemmel, S. A., Yu, X., & Zhou, Q. A. (2021). Bioorthogonal Chemistry and Its Applications. Bioconjugate Chemistry, 32(12), 2457–2479. https://doi.org/10.1021/ACS.BIOCONJCHEM.1C00461/ASSET/IMAGES/LARGE/BC1C00461_0012.JPEG
Cao, J., Yuan, P., Wu, B., Liu, Y., & Hu, C. (2023). Advances in the Research and Application of Smart-Responsive Hydrogels in Disease Treatment. Gels, 9(8), 662. https://doi.org/10.3390/GELS9080662
Chen, L., Wang, N., Wang, X., & Ai, S. (2013). Protein-directed in situ synthesis of platinum nanoparticles with superior peroxidase-like activity, and their use for photometric determination of hydrogen peroxide. Microchimica Acta, 180(15–16), 1517–1522. https://doi.org/10.1007/S00604-013-1068-6
Cordani, M., Fernández-Lucas, J., Khosravi, A., Zare, E. N., Makvandi, P., Zarrabi, A., & Iravani, S. (2025). Carbon-based nanozymes for cancer therapy and diagnosis: A review. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 297, 139704. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJBIOMAC.2025.139704
Desai, N., Rana, D., Patel, M., Bajwa, N., Prasad, R., & Vora, L. K. (2025). Nanoparticle Therapeutics in Clinical Perspective: Classification, Marketed Products, and Regulatory Landscape. Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany), 21(29), 2502315. https://doi.org/10.1002/SMLL.202502315
Feng, Z., Guo, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhang, A., Jia, M., Yin, J., & Shen, G. (2024). Nanozymes: a bibliometrics review. Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 22(1), 704. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12951-024-02907-5
Gao, L., Zhuang, J., Nie, L., Zhang, J., Zhang, Y., Gu, N., Wang, T., Feng, J., Yang, D., Perrett, S., & Yan, X. (2007a). Intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of ferromagnetic nanoparticles. Nature Nanotechnology, 2(9), 577–583. https://doi.org/10.1038/NNANO.2007.260
Gao, L., Zhuang, J., Nie, L., Zhang, J., Zhang, Y., Gu, N., Wang, T., Feng, J., Yang, D., Perrett, S., & Yan, X. (2007b). Intrinsic peroxidase-like activity of ferromagnetic nanoparticles. Nature Nanotechnology, 2(9), 577–583. https://doi.org/10.1038/NNANO.2007.260
Gao, X., Zhang, J., Gong, Y., & Yan, L. (2024). The biomedical applications of nanozymes in orthopaedics based on regulating reactive oxygen species. Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 22(1), 569. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12951-024-02844-3
Ge, M., Jiang, F., & Lin, H. (2024). Nanocatalytic medicine enabled next-generation therapeutics for bacterial infections. Materials Today Bio, 29, 101255. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MTBIO.2024.101255
Gunatilake, U. B., Caballe-Abalos, A., Garcia-Rey, S., Mercader-Ruiz, J., Basabe-Desmonts, L., & Benito-Lopez, F. (2023). Lab-in-a-Bead: Magnetic Janus Bead Probe for the Detection of Biomarkers in Blood. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 10(34). https://doi.org/10.1002/ADMI.202202459
Gunatilake, U. B., Garcia-Rey, S., Ojeda, E., Basabe-Desmonts, L., & Benito-Lopez, F. (2021). TiO2Nanotubes Alginate Hydrogel Scaffold for Rapid Sensing of Sweat Biomarkers: Lactate and Glucose. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 13(31), 37734–37745. https://doi.org/10.1021/ACSAMI.1C11446
Gunatilake, U. B., Pérez-López, B., Urpi, M., Prat-Trunas, J., Carrera-Cardona, G., Félix, G., Sene, S., Beaudhuin, M., Dupin, J. C., Allouche, J., Guari, Y., Larionova, J., & Baldrich, E. (2025). Peroxidase (POD) Mimicking Activity of Different Types of Poly(ethyleneimine)-Mediated Prussian Blue Nanoparticles. Nanomaterials, 15(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/NANO15010041/S1
He, D., Jones, A. M., Garg, S., Pham, A. N., & Waite, T. D. (2011). Silver nanoparticle-reactive oxygen species interactions: Application of a charging-discharging model. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 115(13), 5461–5468. https://doi.org/10.1021/JP111275A
Huang, Y., Ren, J., & Qu, X. (2019). Nanozymes: Classification, Catalytic Mechanisms, Activity Regulation, and Applications. Chemical Reviews, 119(6), 4357–4412. https://doi.org/10.1021/ACS.CHEMREV.8B00672
Javed, J., Zhou, Y., Ullah, S., Gao, T., Yang, C., Han, Y., & Wu, H. (2025). Progress and Perspectives on Pyrite-Derived Materials Applied in Advanced Oxidation Processes for the Elimination of Emerging Contaminants from Wastewater. Molecules, 30(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/MOLECULES30102194
Jiang, Y., Kang, Y., Liu, J., Yin, S., Huang, Z., & Shao, L. (2022). Nanomaterials alleviating redox stress in neurological diseases: mechanisms and applications. Journal of Nanobiotechnology 2022 20:1, 20(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12951-022-01434-5
Kashtiaray, A., Karimi, M., Ghafori-Gorab, M., & Maleki, A. (2025a). A comprehensive review on the recent applications of nanozymes in breast cancer therapy and diagnosis. Materials Advances, 6(10), 3017–3042. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MA01089B
Kashtiaray, A., Karimi, M., Ghafori-Gorab, M., & Maleki, A. (2025b). A comprehensive review on the recent applications of nanozymes in breast cancer therapy and diagnosis. Materials Advances, 6(10), 3017–3042. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MA01089B
Lai, C. M., Xiao, X. S., Chen, J. Y., He, W. Y., Wang, S. S., Qin, Y., & He, S. H. (2025). Revolutionizing nanozymes: The synthesis, enzyme-mimicking capabilities of carbon dots, and advancements in catalytic mechanisms. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 293, 139284. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJBIOMAC.2024.139284
Li, X., Zhang, Y., He, A., Li, Q., Wang, S., Shan, J., Li, S., Yang, D., Wu, G., Xiu, W., Liu, Y., & Dong, H. (2025). Biohybrid catalysis in biomedicine. Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 545, 217003. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CCR.2025.217003
Liu, Q., Zhang, A., Wang, R., Zhang, Q., & Cui, D. (2021). A Review on Metal- and Metal Oxide-Based Nanozymes: Properties, Mechanisms, and Applications. Nano-Micro Letters, 13(1), 154. https://doi.org/10.1007/S40820-021-00674-8
Malekzad, H., Sahandi Zangabad, P., Mirshekari, H., Karimi, M., & Hamblin, M. R. (2016). Noble metal nanoparticles in biosensors: recent studies and applications. Nanotechnology Reviews, 6(3), 301. https://doi.org/10.1515/NTREV-2016-0014
Mohapatra, A., & Park, I.-K. (2023). Recent Advances in ROS-Scavenging Metallic Nanozymes for Anti-Inflammatory Diseases: A Review. Chonnam Medical Journal, 59(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.4068/CMJ.2023.59.1.13
Nagendran, V., Goveas, L. C., Vinayagam, R., Varadavenkatesan, T., & Selvaraj, R. (2024). Nanozymes in environmental remediation: A bibliometric and comprehensive review of their oxidoreductase-mimicking capabilities. Microchemical Journal, 207, 111748. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MICROC.2024.111748
Pant, G., Singh, S., Choudhary, P. K., Ramamurthy, P. C., Singh, H., Garlapati, D., Singh, J., Kumar, G., Khan, N. A., & Zahmatkesh, S. (2024). Nanozymes: advance enzyme-mimicking theragnostic tool: a review. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10098-023-02716-8
Qu, Z., Xu, H., Xu, P., Chen, K., Mu, R., Fu, J., & Gu, H. (2014). Ultrasensitive ELISA using enzyme-loaded nanospherical brushes as labels. Analytical Chemistry, 86(19), 9367–9371. https://doi.org/10.1021/AC502522B
Santhanakrishnan, K. R., Koilpillai, J., & Narayanasamy, D. (2024). PEGylation in Pharmaceutical Development: Current Status and Emerging Trends in Macromolecular and Immunotherapeutic Drugs. Cureus, 16(8), e66669. https://doi.org/10.7759/CUREUS.66669
Sen, A., Oswalia, J., Yadav, S., Vachher, M., & Nigam, A. (2024a). Recent trends in nanozyme research and their potential therapeutic applications. Current Research in Biotechnology, 7, 100205. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CRBIOT.2024.100205
Sen, A., Oswalia, J., Yadav, S., Vachher, M., & Nigam, A. (2024b). Recent trends in nanozyme research and their potential therapeutic applications. Current Research in Biotechnology, 7, 100205. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CRBIOT.2024.100205
Sen, A., Oswalia, J., Yadav, S., Vachher, M., & Nigam, A. (2024c). Recent trends in nanozyme research and their potential therapeutic applications. Current Research in Biotechnology, 7, 100205. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CRBIOT.2024.100205
Sen, A., Oswalia, J., Yadav, S., Vachher, M., & Nigam, A. (2024d). Recent trends in nanozyme research and their potential therapeutic applications. Current Research in Biotechnology, 7, 100205. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CRBIOT.2024.100205
Shamsabadi, A., Haghighi, T., Carvalho, S., Frenette, L. C., & Stevens, M. M. (2024). The Nanozyme Revolution: Enhancing the Performance of Medical Biosensing Platforms. Advanced Materials, 36(10), 2300184. https://doi.org/10.1002/ADMA.202300184
Tao, X., Wang, X., Liu, B., & Liu, J. (2020). Conjugation of antibodies and aptamers on nanozymes for developing biosensors. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 168. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOS.2020.112537
Truong, T. T., Mondal, S., Doan, V. H. M., Tak, S., Choi, J., Oh, H., Nguyen, T. D., Misra, M., Lee, B., & Oh, J. (2024). Precision-engineered metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles for biomedical imaging and healthcare applications. Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 332, 103263. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CIS.2024.103263
Wang, R., Huang, Z., Wu, Z., Li, X., & Jiang, J. H. (2025). Chemical Engineering of DNAzyme for Effective Biosensing and Gene Therapy. Small Methods, 9(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/SMTD.202401514
Wang, X. (Ed.). (2022). Nanozymes: Design, Synthesis, and Applications. 1422. https://doi.org/10.1021/BK-2022-1422
Wang, Z., Hou, Y., Tang, G., Li, Y., Zhao, Y., Yu, Y., Wang, G., Yan, X., & Fan, K. (2025). Intelligent nanozymes: Biomimetic design, mechanisms and biomedical applications. Fundamental Research, 5(4), 1369–1383. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FMRE.2024.11.013
Xu, Y., Yan, J., Cui, C., Zhou, L., Zhang, K., Du, M., Gong, Y., Zhang, Z., Wu, X., & Li, B. (2025). Nanozymes Empower Periodontitis Treatment: New Strategies and Clinical Application Prospects. Biomaterials Research, 29. https://doi.org/10.34133/BMR.0210
Yusuf, V. F., Malek, N. I., & Kailasa, S. K. (2022). Review on Metal-Organic Framework Classification, Synthetic Approaches, and Influencing Factors: Applications in Energy, Drug Delivery, and Wastewater Treatment. ACS Omega, 7(49), 44507–44531. https://doi.org/10.1021/ACSOMEGA.2C05310/ASSET/IMAGES/LARGE/AO2C05310_0012.JPEG
Zhang, R., Yan, X., Gao, L., & Fan, K. (2025a). Nanozymes expanding the boundaries of biocatalysis. Nature Communications, 16(1), 6817. https://doi.org/10.1038/S41467-025-62063-8
Zhang, R., Yan, X., Gao, L., & Fan, K. (2025b). Nanozymes expanding the boundaries of biocatalysis. Nature Communications, 16(1), 6817. https://doi.org/10.1038/S41467-025-62063-8
Zhang, R., Zhao, H., & Fan, K. (2022). Structure-Activity Mechanism of Iron Oxide Nanozymes. ACS Symposium Series, 1422, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1021/BK-2022-1422.CH001/ASSET/IMAGES/LARGE/BK-2022-00135M_G018.JPEG
Zhang, S., Nie, S., Wu, R., Chen, X., & Huang, P. (2025). Extraction, purification, structural characterization, and bioactivities of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata (Fuzi) polysaccharides: A review. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139285
Zhong, H., Jiang, C., & Huang, Y. (2023). The recent development of nanozymes for targeting antibacterial, anticancer and antioxidant applications. RSC Advances, 13(3), 1539. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2RA06849D
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published in our journal are licensed under CC-BY 4.0, which permits authors to retain copyright of their work. This license allows for unrestricted use, sharing, and reproduction of the articles, provided that proper credit is given to the original authors and the source.