Coordination Polymer Nanozymes Suppress TLR4-Mediated Inflammatory Cytokine Production

Excessive inflammation can cause severe damage to biological tissues and organs, and current anti-inflammatory drugs still have certain limitations. This study aims to explore anti-inflammatory strategies. Nanozymes, a class of nanomaterials with enzyme-like catalytic properties, have gained significant attention in recent years. In this study, iron ion integrated coordination polymer nanodots (FNDs) were synthesized. The anti-inflammatory effects of FNDs were investigated from multiple aspects, including material characterization, antioxidant performance testing, in vitro cell experiments, and mouse model experiments. The results demonstrated that FNDs have the characteristics of small size, high stability, and excellent antioxidant capacity. In vitro cell experiments showed that FNDs significantly inhibited the production of LPS-induced TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in THP-1 macrophages. Further analysis of signaling pathways revealed that FNDs markedly suppressed the NF-κB and MAPK pathways and downregulated the expression of TLR4 and CD14 on the surface of macrophages. Experiments in mouse models indicated that FNDs significantly suppressed inflammation and cellular damage in organs such as the lungs and liver, and reduced the number of inflammatory cells and the concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in peripheral blood. This study demonstrates that FNDs possess excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, providing a strategy for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.