Journal of Translational Neurosciences

Description

Nanozymes—also known as enzyme-mimicking nanocatalysts—have received a lot of attention in recent years. Due to their high stability and numerous catalytic activities, they are regarded as potential substitutes for natural enzymes. Nanomaterials' colloidal stability, catalytic specificity, efficiency, and biosafety in biomedical applications must still be addressed. Proteins are biodegradable macromolecules that display unrivaled biocompatibility and innate bioactivities; As a result, it is anticipated that the protein modification of nanocatalysts will enhance their bioavailability to meet clinical requirements. Nanocatalysts can be conjugated or encapsulated thanks to the abundance of functional groups provided by proteins' diverse amino acid residues. In addition, protein encapsulation has the potential to give nanocatalysts in biological systems new capabilities, such as the ability to target and hold onto pathological sites. The purpose of this review is to discuss the most recent developments and perspectives regarding protein-encapsulated catalysts' functional enhancements, modification techniques, and biomedical applications.

Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions that Alter Biological Functions

By catalyzing a variety of biochemical reactions that regulate cellular and organismal homeostasis, enzymes, which are endogenous macromolecules, play crucial roles in numerous biological processes that are necessary for maintaining life. On the other hand, enzyme-catalyzed reactions that alter biological functions related to disease could have therapeutic effects; As a result, over the course of the past few decades, various diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, lysosomal storage disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, exocrine pancreas insufficiency, and hyperuricemia have been investigated for the treatment of natural enzymes. Recently, effective biocatalysts have received a lot of attention due to their promising results in biomedical applications. Enzymes have also been extensively utilized in bioanalyses, such as the use of Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) in an ELISA, in addition to their therapeutic applications. However, the high cost of making natural enzymes and their instability for use present significant obstacles to clinical translation of therapeutic enzymes.

Promise of Nanocatalytic Therapy in Medical Applications

The clinical application of nanocatalysts is still a long way off, despite the growing promise of nanocatalytic therapy in medical applications. First, nanocatalysts remain distinct from natural enzymes in terms of substrate selectivity and catalytic activity despite their diverse crystal structures and surface configurations. Second, a number of nanocatalysts' physiological stability needs to be improved. The undesirable aggregation of nanomaterials may impede tumor cellular uptake and penetration and cause vascular embolism. Thirdly, the formation of protein coronas on the surface of nanoparticles can impede the catalytic activity of nanocatalysts, affecting their initial performance. Last but not least, despite ongoing research into tumor-targeted delivery strategies in recent decades, the majority of nanomaterials lack targeting and remain widely distributed in tissues and organs following intravenous injection, potentially resulting in systemic toxicity. As a result, it is urgently necessary to develop nanocatalysts that are safe, stable, biocompatible, and highly efficient. The extensive variety of proteins is an excellent resource for enhancing the effectiveness of nano catalysts. By recombinant expression, such as mAb, transferrin, and nanobodies, or by extraction and purification from natural sources like HSA and BSA, proteins used to improve the properties of nanocatalysts can be produced. The availability and functional requirements typically dictate the methods used to prepare proteins. The development of nanotechnology has provided new instruments for biomedical and medicinal science research and development. The functions, synthetic approaches, and applications of protein modifications that facilitate nanocatalytic diagnosis and treatment are outlined in this manuscript.