Peroxidase-mimicking activity of nanozymes-loaded polymeric artificial organelles potentially active in acidic environment

Abstract

The design of compartments capable of carrying out biological reactions in a local space has provoked enormous interest by providing spatiotemporal and long-term selective control of biological activity. On the other hand, the application of metal-porphyrins in the field of biomedical science as nanozymes is gaining substantial importance. Porphyrins are the most widely studied tetrapyrrole-based compounds because of their important roles in vital biological processes and they possess peculiar photochemical, photophysical, and photo/redox properties. Herein, we demonstrate the use of pH-responsive and photo-crosslinked polymersomes for loading β-cyclodextrin-Hemin complexes as potential peroxidase-mimicking cavity. The loading of catalytic active centers into polymeric vesicles represents a simple and effective strategy for enzyme mimicry. Physicochemical and enzyme-like properties are studied using a variety of characterization methods at different simulated microenvironments. This work offers an improvement of the aqueous solubility of the Hemin molecule, crucial for biomedical applications. In addition, these nanocompartments can be used as artificial radical-producing and hydrogen peroxide-consuming organelles, being able to replace cell functions in different microenvironments. Therefore, these artificial organelles, entrapping nanozymes, could provide promising synergistic and more personalized therapies on demand in modern nanomedicine.