Catalytically active gold clusters with atomic precision for noninvasive early intervention of neurotrauma

Abstract

Background Neurotrauma is a worldwide public health problem which can be divided into primary and secondary damge. The primary damge is caused by external forces and triggers the overproduction of peroxides and superoxides, leading to long-lasting secondary damage including oxidative stress, wound infection and immunological reactions. The emerging catalysts have shown great potential in the treatment of brain injury and neurogenic inflammation, but are limited to biosafety issues and delivery efficiency. Results Herein, we proposed the noninvasive delivery route to brain trauma by employing highly active gold clusters with enzyme-like activity to achieve the early intervention. The decomposition rate to H2O2 of the ultrasmall gold clusters is 10 times that of glassy carbon (GC) electrodes, indicating excellent catalytic activity. The gold clusters can relieve the oxidative stress and decrease the excessive O2·− and H2O2 both in vitro and in vivo. Besides, gold clusters can accelerate the wound healing of brain trauma and alleviate inflammation via inhibiting the activation of astrocytes and microglia through noninvasive adminstration. decrease the peroxide and superoxide of brain tissue. Conclusions Present work shows noninvasive treatment is a promising route for early intervention of brain trauma.

Neuron devices: emerging prospects in neural interfaces and recognition

“…Second, biocompatibility is important for the development of neuron devices. An electrode can be modified with nanomaterials possessing high catalytic activity, such as nanoclusters 114 , 119 – 123 , atomic level nanozymes 122 , 124 – 129 and two-dimensional materials 130 – 133 , to reduce the inflammatory response of neural tissue. Third, integrated neuron devices can be developed to achieve multiple functions simultaneously 134 – 136 .…”

Enzyme-mimic catalytic activities and biomedical applications of noble metal nanoclusters

“…After the injury, it has witnessed an upregulation of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), indicating a strong local inflammatory response. 112 It has been demonstrated that Au 24 Cd 1 (MPA) 18 and Au 24 Cu 1 (MPA) 18 NCs were effective in reducing the levels of the above-mentioned three inflammatory factors, suggesting that the substitution of Cu and Cd atoms significantly enhanced their catalytic activity (Fig. 9b).…”

Multiscale Bioresponses of Metal Nanoclusters

“…In contrast, the single‐atom‐substituted Au 24 Cu 1 and Au 24 Cd 1 showed higher antioxidant activities (CAT‐like and SOD‐like). [ 152 ] Clusterzymes can effectively decrease H 2 O 2 levels and significantly recover SOD levels and the GSH/GSSG ratio, maintaining a balance in ROS levels. Compared to Au 24 Cu 1 , Au 24 Cd 1 shows a more selective free radical‐scavenging capability, which prevents oxidative damage.…”