Highly spontaneous spin polarization engineering of single-atom artificial antioxidases towards efficient ROS elimination and tissue regeneration

Abstract

The creation of atomic catalytic centers has emerged as a conducive path to design efficient nanobiocatalysts to serve as artificial antioxidases (AAOs) that can mimic the function of natural antioxidases to scavenge noxious reactive oxygen species (ROS) for protecting stem cells and promoting tissue regeneration. However, the fundamental mechanisms of diverse single-atom sites for ROS biocatalysis remain ambiguous. Herein, we show that highly spontaneous spin polarization mediates the hitherto unclear origin of H₂O₂-elimination activities in engineering ferromagnetic element (Fe, Co, Ni)-based AAOs with atomic centers. The experimental and theoretical results reveal that Fe-AAO exhibits the best catalase-like kinetics and turnover number, while Co-AAO shows the highest glutathione peroxidase-like activity and turnover number. Furthermore, our investigations prove that both Fe-AAO and Co-AAO can effectively secure the functions of stem cells in high ROS microenvironments and promote the repair of injured tendon tissue by scavenging H₂O₂ and other ROS. We believe that the proposed highly spontaneous spin polarization engineering of ferromagnetic element-based AAOs will provide essential guidance and practical opportunities for developing efficient AAOs for eliminating ROS, protecting stem cells, and accelerating tissue regeneration.