Nanozyme enabled protective therapy for neurological diseases

Nanozymes are nanomaterials that mimic enzymatic activities found in natural human biological processes. Nanozymes can perform reactive oxidative species (ROS) scavenging activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD), thereby relieving oxidative stress, which is a common pathophysiological factor for multiple neurological disorders. Current nanozyme developments have led to increasing applications of these unique molecules in novel treatments for neurological disorders. In this review article, we provide a comprehensive review of the mechanisms and structures of current nanozymes that are used in neurological disorders, focusing primarily on the oxidative stress-mediating mechanisms. We then discuss the roles of oxidative stress in various neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), stroke, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Huntington's disease (HD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and summarize current nanozyme therapeutics developed to treat these diseases, both through mechanisms that counter oxidative stress as well as through synergistic mechanisms that couple targeting oxidative stress with pathological protein clearance and neuroinflammation reduction.