Guannan Wang

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent degenerative joint disorder characterized by chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, with current treatments offering limited efficacy in halting disease progression. A central pathogenic driver is the mitochondrial overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which induces cellular components damage, propagates inflammatory signaling, and accelerates cellular senescence. Although some natural enzymes can neutralize ROS, their therapeutic applications are severely restricted by poor stability and limited cellular uptake. Here, a mitochondrial targeted nanozyme (CuQ@SS31) is fabricated by coordinating copper with quercetin and modifying the mitochondria‐homing peptide SS31 on the surface. CuQ@SS31 confers potent dual‐enzyme mimetic activities, scavenging superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide through synergistic SOD‐like and CAT‐like catalysis. Notably, the thermal effect produced by near‐infrared irradiation further enhances the enzymatic activity of CuQ@SS31 itself. The nanozyme's crystalline properties ensure structural integrity and sustained catalytic durability. Furthermore, CuQ@SS31 has almost no effect on the cell‐protective heat shock protein 70 typically associated with free quercetin, thereby preserving essential thermal stress defenses. In addition, CuQ@SS31 also exhibits inherent antibacterial properties, reducing potential infection risks from intra‑articular administration. Finally, CuQ@SS31 effectively alleviated oxidative stress, suppressed inflammation, and decelerated cartilage degradation, while demonstrating prolonged joint retention and a favorable safety profile.

Trinuclear copper complexes that emulate the active sites of multicopper oxidases (MCOs) are of broad biological interest. Here, a monoatomic‐node strategy combined with solvent reduction was used to construct a rare trinuclear copper MOF featuring a planar, equilateral‐triangular Cu ^I _0.6 Cu ^II _2.4 core. The Cu ^I _0.6 Cu ^II _2.4 –MOF nanozyme shows enzymatic activity 37.2 times than that of laccase and 13.6 times than that of a Cu ^II ₃ –MOF analogue, retains high chemical stability from pH 4 to 12, and lowers production cost by 16.2‐fold relative to natural laccase. DFT calculations attribute the superior performance to the introduction of Cu ⁺ , which yields a more favorable electronic structure, reaction energy landscape, and intermediate binding than in Cu ^II ₃ –MOF. Consequently, Cu ^I _0.6 Cu ^II _2.4 –MOF efficiently degrades phenolic pollutants and enables colorimetric discrimination and detection of 11 phenols as a colorimetric sensor array. It also affords sensitive detection of epinephrine and dopamine, with limits of detection of 6.5 and 10 µ m , respectively. Overall, this work demonstrates a laccase‐inspired route to high‐activity, low‐cost MOFs with strong potential for environmental remediation and biosensing.

Nanozymes are a unique class of nanomaterials that possess intrinsic enzymatic properties, exhibiting similar reaction kinetics to natural enzymes. As enzyme substitutes in various biomedical applications, nanozymes offer numerous advantages, including low cost, tunable catalytic activity, and exceptional stability. However, their catalytic activities are typically lower than those of natural enzymes, and the lack of precise control over their functional modulation limits their therapeutic potential. To address these challenges, the biomimetic and intelligent design of nanozymes has been introduced as a critical concept for enhancing their functionality. In this review, we will explore the importance of biomimetic design in the development of intelligent nanozymes. We will first introduce the foundational principles and strategies for their targeted design, followed by an overview of recent advances in the regulatory mechanisms and biomedical applications of intelligent nanozymes. Lastly, we will highlight the current limitations in this research field and propose future directions. With continued progress in biomimetic and intelligent design, nanozymes are poised to accelerate their clinical translation and large-scale commercialization, further expanding their potential in therapeutic applications.

The encapsulation of various guest molecules into the pores of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to form hybrid materials has attracted significant attention due to their unique spatial distribution and certain preferential geometry of the guests inside the MOFs. This arrangement often results in the guests exhibiting unique physical and chemical properties due to their intramolecular interactions with the host. In this article, five viologen derivatives were introduced as guests in a Zn-MOF with different benzene ring lengths, resulting in the formation of host-guest three-dimensional (3D) MOFs. The five compounds exhibited guest-dependent emission wavelength, color, and excellent photochromic behavior upon ultraviolet (UV) light radiation due to the distinct electronic transfer and π···π stacking interactions between the viologen guests and the host framework. This study provides a host-guest strategy for designing color-tunable luminescent and highly sensitive photochromic materials.