Small Ceria Nanoclusters with High ROS Scavenging Activity and Favorable Pharmacokinetic Parameters for the Amelioration of Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract The over production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a critical role in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Organic ROS scavengers currently used for CKD treatment do not satisfy low dosage and high efficiency requirements. Ceria nanomaterials featured with renewable ROS scavenging activity are potential candidates for CKD treatment. Herein, a method for the synthesis of ceria nanoclusters (NCs) featured with small size of ≈1.2 nm is reported. The synthesized NCs are modified by three hydrophilic ligands with different molecular weights, including succinic acid (SA), polyethylene glycol diacid 600 (PEG600), and polyethylene glycol diacid 2000 (PEG2000). The surface modified NCs exhibit excellent ROS scavenging activity due to the high Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio in their crystal structures. Compared with bigger‐sized ceria nanoparticles (NPs) (≈45 nm), NCs demonstrate smoother blood concentration‐time curve, lower organ accumulation, and faster metabolic rate superiorities. The administration of NCs to CKD mice, especially PEG600 and PEG2000 modified NCs, can effectively inhibit oxidative stress, inflammation, renal fibrosis, and apoptosis in their kidneys. Due to these benefits, the constructed NCs can ameliorate the progression of CKD. These findings suggest that NCs is a potential redox nanomedicine for future clinical treatment of CKD.