Nanozymes: a new choice for disease treatment

Nanozymes are a kind of nanomaterials with enzyme-like activities. Since Chinese scientists first found that Fe3O4 nanoparticles have intrinsic peroxidase-like activity in 2007, the researches of nanozymes have been gradually developed. So far, 540 kinds of nanomaterials with different composition and structure have been found to possess enzyme-like activities. Compared with natural enzymes, nanozymes are more stable, more economical, and have diverse and adjustable functions. By now, nanozymes have been widely used in molecular detection, disease diagnosis, environmental management and other fields related to catalysis. Recently, a variety of nanozymes were found to be capable of regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) in organisms, which indicates its potential as prooxidants/antioxidants in the field of ROS-related disease treatment. In this review, we summarized the latest research progress of nanozymes in the treatment of diseases. The challenges for the future development of nanozymes in biomedicine were discussed for inspiring researchers to carry out further in-depth studies.