An amino acid-based supramolecular nanozyme by coordination self-assembly for cascade catalysis and enhanced chemodynamic therapy towards biomedical applications

Abstract

The clinical translation of chemodynamic therapy has been highly obstructed by the insufficient intracellular H₂O₂ level in diseased tissues. Herein, we developed a supramolecular nanozyme through a facile one-step cooperative coordination self-assembly of an amphipathic amino acid and glucose oxidase (GOx) in the presence of Fe²⁺. The results demonstrated that the supramolecular nanozyme possessed cascade enzymatic activity (i.e., GOx and peroxidase), which could amplify the killing efficacy of hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) via self-supplying H₂O₂, finally achieving synergistic starvation–chemodynamic cancer therapy in vitro. Additionally, this cascade nanozyme also exhibited highly effective antibacterial activity on Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) without the need for additional H₂O₂. This work provided a promising strategy for the design and development of nanozymes for future biomedical applications.