Application of copper based single-atom nanozymes in wound healing and tumor treatment

Abstract

Single-atom nanozymes (SANs) with transition metals as their core are nanomaterials characterized by atomically dispersed active sites and intrinsic enzyme-mimicking activity, exhibiting ultrahigh catalytic efficiency. As an essential trace element and critical cofactor in organisms, copper plays vital roles in physiological processes such as energy metabolism and antioxidant defense. This biological significance, combined with the excellent tunability and stability of SANs, drives extensive research into Cu-based single-atom nanozymes (Cu-SANs) in biomedical fields, particularly in wound healing and tumor treatment. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in Cu-SANs for these two applications. Firstly, we detail diverse synthetic strategies, encompassing pyrolysis, hydrothermal synthesis, electrochemical deposition, in-situ bombardment embedding, intracellular synthesis, solid-phase migration, ball milling, and machine learning-aided design. Then, the multi-enzymatic activities and corresponding catalytic mechanisms are analyzed. Besides, the applications of Cu-SANs in wound healing and tumor treatment were systematically summarized. Finally, we discuss persistent challenges in active site precision control, biocompatibility enhancement, artificial intelligence-aid design, manufacturing scalability and hybrid systems development to meet clinical demands. This work may facilitate the development of high-performance next-generation Cu-SANs for wound healing and tumor treatment.