posted on 2021-09-10, 15:33authored byManman Liu, Yang Zhu, Duo Jin, Li Li, Junjie Cheng, Yangzhong Liu
Nanozyme is a class of artificial
materials that possess enzyme-like
activities and can overcome limitations of natural enzymes. However,
controllability of the active sites, uniformity of the particles,
and dispersion in the physiological media are still challenging for
nanomaterial-based nanozymes. In this work, a protein-based nanozyme
has been constructed by the encapsulation of hemin into the nanocavity
of a recombinant human heavy chain ferritin (Ftn), generating a monodispersed
peroxidase–mimetic nanozyme (hemin@Ftn). Hemin@Ftn possesses
high peroxidase catalytic activity and high tolerance to the harsh
environmental conditions, such as high temperature and chemical denaturant.
Remarkably, hemin@Ftn can act as a colorimetric probe for the detection
of tumor cells because it can selectively catalyze reactions in tumor
cells. This protein-based nanozyme bridges the gap between natural
enzymes and nanomaterial-based nanozymes by the incorporation of a
catalytically active prosthetic group into a highly stable Ftn.