Photo-responsive nanozymes: Mechanism, activity regulation, and biomedical applications

Abstract

Nanozyme is defined as a nanomaterial-based artificial enzyme. It has rapidly attracted interest and been regarded as a promising alternative to natural enzymes due to its low cost, high stability, and high activity. Many researchers have recently paid attention to the optical properties of nanozymes and have found a variety of nanozymes with excellent photoactivity, called photo-responsive nanozymes. In this minireview, we briefly introduce the mechanisms of photo-responsive nanozymes, especially for the relationship between the enzyme-like activity and photoactivity. Some activity regulation strategies for improving the performance of photo-responsive nanozymes are also summarized. Moreover, the synergy of enzyme-like activity and photoactivity in biomedical applications will also be discussed, including cancer therapy, antibacteria, and biological detection. We believe this minireview will be of great significance for understanding the optical properties of nanozymes and applying them in biomedicine.