Next-generation anti-inflammatory platforms: Engineering molybdenum disulfide nanozymes through morphological and electronic structure modulation

Inflammatory diseases, particularly chronic conditions, remain a leading global health challenge with substantial morbidity and mortality. Traditional therapies, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), face limitations due to side effects and drug resistance. This review explores molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) nanozymes as innovative nanoplatforms for inflammatory disease treatment. Leveraging tunable morphologies (nanosheets, nanoflowers, hollow spheres, yolk-shell structures, quantum dots) and electronic structure modifications (doping, heterojunctions, defect engineering, single-atom anchoring), MoS 2 nanozyme exhibits multifunctional therapeutic capabilities. Its intrinsic nanozyme activity mimics catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, enabling efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging. This work highlights the promising applications including photothermal, photodynamic, sonodynamic, and microwave in autoimmune and infection-related inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteomyelitis, with enhanced targeting, reduced toxicity, and improved therapeutic outcomes. Despite progress, challenges in long-term biosafety, clinical translation, and scalable synthesis persist. This work underscores MoS 2 ’s potential as a next-generation anti-inflammatory agent and outlines future directions for smart nanocomposite design. • Multifunctional MoS 2 nanozymes overcome NSAID limitations. • Tunable morpho-electronics&ROS scavenging enable inflammation therapy. • Structure-activity synergy boosts catalase/peroxidase/SOD-like functions. • Addressing clinical hurdles needs smart nanocomposites.