单原子催化剂的生物医学应用研究进展

Research advances in biomedical applications of single-atom catalysts

随着纳米技术和材料科学的快速发展,许多根据疾病的微环境理化特性进行设计和改造的纳米材料,通过特定刺激触发原位催化反应,已被证实具有有效的治疗作用。然而,针对目前纳米医学应用的催化剂存在结构复杂和潜在的金属离子毒性问题,研究者们致力于开发和改进合成更有效、更可控和毒性更低的纳米催化剂。近年来,单原子催化剂(single-atom catalysts,SACs)作为锚定或配位在合适载体上的原子分散的金属活性位点,具有优异催化活性和高选择性,显示出在治疗应用中的巨大潜力。该文概述了SACs在生物医学应用方面的开发进展,重点阐述了在抗菌、癌症治疗、氧化应激细胞保护和生物传感方面应用的最新进展,通过列举成功研制的一系列代表性SACs揭示其在不同疾病应用的催化触发机制,了解潜在的结构与性能关系。最后,对SACs在纳米催化医学领域面临的当前挑战和未来机遇进行了探讨和展望。

With the rapid advances in nanotechnology and materials science, lots of nanomaterials designed and modified according to the pathophysiological and chemical properties of the disease microenvironment have been proven to achieve effective therapeutic effects by triggering in situ catalytic reactions through specific stimuli. However, in response to the structural complexity and potential metal ion toxicity of current catalysts for nanomedical applications, researchers have worked to develop and improve the synthesis of nanocatalysts which are significantly more effective, more controllable and less toxic. In recent years, single-atom catalysts(SACs) show great potential for therapeutic applications as atomically dispersed metal active sites, anchored or coordinated on suitable carriers with excellent catalytic activity and high selectivity. This review provides an outline of the progress in development of SACs for biomedical applications, focusing on recent advances in applications encompassing antimicrobial, cancer therapy, oxidative-stress cytoprotection and biosensing, and revealing the catalytic triggering mechanisms of SACs for different disease applications by citing a series of successfully established representative examples and understanding the structure-property relationships. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives for the engineering of SACs in noncatalytic medicine are also discussed and outlooked.