# pH-responsive nanozymes: multifunctional platforms for biomedical catalysis toward clinical translation

## TL;DR

pH-responsive nanozymes are smart nanomaterials that adjust their activity based on acidity and are being explored for biomedical applications like cancer treatment and wound healing.

## Contribution

This paper reviews the progress and challenges of pH-responsive nanozymes for biomedical use and their potential integration with other nanotechnologies.

## Key findings

- pH-responsive nanozymes can dynamically regulate catalytic activity in response to biological environments.
- They have been applied in tumor therapy, antimicrobial treatments, and wound healing with targeted drug delivery.
- Challenges remain in clinical translation, including in vivo stability and toxicity assessment.

## Abstract

As an emerging class of smart nanomaterials, pH-responsive nanozymes are capable of realizing dynamic regulation of catalytic activity according to microenvironmental acidity and alkalinity. The material system encompasses noble metals, metal oxides, metal sulfides, carbon-based nanozymes, and metal-organic frameworks. Through engineering strategies such as surface ligand modification, heterogeneous atom doping and core-shell structure design, these nanozymes can achieve precise response to complex biological microenvironments, and show unique catalytic properties in the lesion site with specific pH. In recent years, pH-responsive nanozymes have been applied in various biomedical fields, such as tumor therapy, antimicrobial, wound healing, and anti-inflammation, to enhance therapeutic efficacy through controlled activation and targeted drug delivery. However, they still face many challenges in clinical translation, such as in vivo stability, toxicity assessment and precise regulation of activity. This paper reviews the research progress of pH-responsive nanozyme therapeutic systems and discusses the potential and challenges of integrating them with other nanotechnologies and therapeutic modalities, aiming to provide a reference and outlook for promoting their wider application in clinical diseases.