Broad-spectrum degradation of fluoroquinolone antibiotics by Hemin-His-Fe nanozymes with peroxidase-like activity

Abstract

Fluoroquinolones are a widely used class of antibiotics, with a large variety, which are frequently monitored in the aqueous environment, threatening ecological and human health. To date, effective degradation of fluoroquinolone antibiotics remains a major challenge. Focused on the broad-spectrum degradation of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, a novel biomimetic peroxidase nanozyme named Hemin-His-Fe (HHF)-peroxidase nanozyme was synthesized through a green and rapid “one-pot” method involving hemin, Fmoc-L-His and Fe²⁺ as precursors. After systematic optimization of the reaction conditions, fluoroquinolone antibiotics can be degraded by the HHF-peroxidase nanozyme when supplemented with H₂O₂ in acidic environments. Through validation and analysis, it was proved that the generated strong oxidative hydroxyl radicals are the main active species in the degradation process. In addition, it was verified that this method shows great universal applicability in real water samples.