Iron Single-Atom Nanozyme with Inflammation-Suppressing for Inhibiting Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Infection and Facilitating Wound Healing

Infection with drug-resistant bacteria and the formation of biofilms are the main factors contributing to wound healing insufficiency. Antibacterial agents with enzyme-like properties have exhibited considerable potential for efficient eradication of drug-resistant microorganisms due to their superior sensitivities and minimal side effects. In this work, we prepared a kind of Fe-centered single-atom nanozyme (Fe-SAzyme) with high biocompatibility and stability via a facile one-pot hydrothermal method, which was suitable for the treatment of wounds infected with drug-resistant bacteria. The Fe-SAzyme exhibited remarkable peroxidase-like catalytic activities, catalyzing the conversion of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to highly toxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH), which could not only damage bacterial cells but also inhibit, disrupt, and eradicate the formation of bacterial biofilms. Thus, Fe-SAzyme demonstrated a broad-spectrum antibacterial performance capable of effectively eliminating multidrug-resistant bacteria. The coexistence of ferrous (Fe2+) and ferric (Fe3+) ions in Fe-SAzyme conferred the nanozyme with anti-inflammatory activity, effectively suppressing excessive inflammation. Meanwhile, Fe-SAzyme could significantly downregulate inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β and upregulate growth factors VEGF and epidermal growth factor, which can prevent bacterial infection, mitigate inflammation, promote fibroblast proliferation, and improve wound closure. Thus, Fe-SAzyme had shown favorable therapeutic efficiency in promoting bacteria-infected wound healing. This study provides Fe-SAzyme as a promising candidate for the development of new strategies to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.