Hollow Prussian Blue Nanozymes Drive Neuroprotection against Ischemic Stroke via Attenuating Oxidative Stress, Counteracting Inflammation, and Suppressing Cell Apoptosis

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b04729
• Publication Date: 2019-03-25T21:28:43Z
• Authors: Kai Zhang; Mengjiao Tu; Wei Gao; Xiaojun Cai; Fahuan Song; Zheng Chen; Qian Zhang; Jing Wang; Chentao Jin; Jingjing Shi; Xiang Yang; Yuankai Zhu; Weizhong Gu; Bing Hu; Yuanyi Zheng; Hong Zhang; Mei Tian
• Keywords: Inflammation; 0301 basic medicine; Brain; Apoptosis; Brain Ischemia; Nanocomposites; Rats; 3. Good health; Stroke; Disease Models, Animal; Oxidative Stress; 03 medical and health sciences; Neuroprotective Agents; Ischemia; Animals; Humans; Reactive Oxygen Species; Ferrocyanides

Ischemic stroke is a devastating disease and one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Overproduction of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) following ischemic insult is known as a key factor in exacerbating brain damage. Thus, RONS scavengers that can block excessive production of RONS have great therapeutic potential. Herein, we propose an efficient treatment strategy in which an artificial nanozyme with multienzyme activity drives neuroprotection against ischemic stroke primarily by scavenging RONS. Specifically, through a facile, Bi3+-assisted, template-free synthetic strategy, we developed hollow Prussian blue nanozymes (HPBZs) with multienzyme activity to scavenge RONS in a rat model of ischemic stroke. The comprehensive characteristics of HPBZs against RONS were explored. Apart from attenuating oxidative stress, HPBZs also suppressed apoptosis and counteracted inflammation both in vitro and in vivo, thereby contributing to increased brain tolerance of ischemic injury with minimal side effects. This study provides a proof of concept for a novel class of neuroprotective nanoagents that might be beneficial for treatment of ischemic stroke and other RONS-related disorders.