Development of Nanomaterials as Antioxidant Enzyme Mimetics for Cellular Redox Homeostasis

Abstract

Nanomaterials possess a myriad of potential in various biomedical fields such as cancer diagnostics, biosensing, imaging, immunoassay, drug delivery and therapeutics etc. In particular, the ability of the nanozymes to modulate the catalytic activities and biological functions of natural enzymes attracts burgeoning interest for various biomimetic applications. There is a significant relevance of nanozymes which can regulate the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in cells, mimicking the cellular antioxidant enzymes due to their possible therapeutic potential in various oxidative stress related disorders. However, there are certain drawbacks associated with their selectivity, limited surface area due to functionalization and biocompatibility. Further, the mechanistic insights revealing the enzymatic role of nanozymes in a cellular environment are not well explored. Our study introduces novel enzyme-mimetics as artificial antioxidants for further development as a potential therapy against oxidative stress-mediated pathological conditions.