Ti3C2 nanosheets exhibit efficient and broad-spectrum antioxidant activities to scavenge ROS and free radicals, playing a significant role in preventing cell damage against oxidative stress.
Disturbances in the redox state of a biological system can cause diverse effects and clinical functions. The key and difficulty lies in controlling the balance between reduction and oxidation. Nanomaterials with oxidoreductase-like activity offer an appealing way to adjust antiand pro-oxidation in response to biological conditions. To this end, we design and prepare visible light-responsive hybrid nanozymes by combining Au and N-doped carbon dots (Au/NC). It is found that Au/NC can efficiently scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals and exhibit SOD-like activity, showing intrinsic antioxidant activity. Upon irradiation with visible light, we observe that Au/NC can generate ROS (e.g., hydroxyl radicals, superoxide, and singlet oxygen) and exhibit enhanced oxidase-like activity to accelerate the oxidation of chromogenic substrates, showing pro-oxidant capability. The lightactivated oxidative activity is ascribed to the synergistic effects of photoexcitation of N-doped carbon dots and the surface plasmon resonance of Au nanoparticles. In addition, we demonstrate the application of the anti-and pro-oxidant capability of Au/NC in inhibition or acceleration of oxidation of Monascus pigments and Fe 2+ , which is switched by the incident light. These results will be of significant interest in modulating the biological redox conditions through responsive and precise nanozymes.
Nanozymes show great promise in bioanalysis and therapeutics, which largely relies on high catalytic efficiency and selectivity. Inspired by the interfacial electronic interaction between noble metal and transition metal carbide,...
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