Research progress in nanozyme-based composite materials for fighting against bacteria and biofilms

Abstract

Nanozyme belonging to artificial enzyme is a term describing nanomaterial with enzyme-like characteristics. Great research advances have been acquired in the field of nanozymes due to their striking merits. Inspired by natural enzymes that disrupt the structural integrity of cells or interfere with metabolism, nanozymes which can effectively avoid generation of bacterial resistance may become potential alternatives for antibiotics in the context of the continuous emergence and rapid spread of drug-resistant bacteria and the slow development of new antibiotics. Naturally, nanozymes inevitably have some inherent defects, which need to be compensated by forming composite materials with other components to play a synergistic effect. What's more, nanozyme-based composite materials retain the advantages of nanozymes and integrate multiple functions into a single system to achieve an intelligent and multi-functional therapeutic model. This is a new strategy for combating bacteria/biofilms in the future. In this review, firstly we cover the general mechanisms and design principles of nanozyme-based composite materials for fighting against bacteria/biofilms and the typical types of nanozymes for resisting bacteria/biofilms. Meanwhile the applications and the advantages of nanozyme-based composite materials for anti-bacteria and anti-biofilms are emphasized. Finally, the challenges and prospects of nanozyme-based composite materials for combating bacteria/biofilms are discussed for future research in this field.

Keywords: Anti-bacteria; Anti-biofilms; Bio-composites; Nanozyme-based.