Research Projects

Oxidative stress is a significant issue in various diseases, including cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, liver, ischemia/reperfusion, and kidney injuries. Controlling oxidative stress by eliminating reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a major therapeutic approach. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) are major enzymes that act as antioxidant defense systems in mammalian cells. However, their direct use has limitations such as low stability, high cost, and potential immunogenicity. Researchers are now pursuing nanomaterial-based artificial enzymes (Nanozymes) to overcome these limitations. Nanozymes have gained interest due to their advantages over natural enzymes, such as high and tunable catalytic activities, low cost, easy large-scale production, high stability, and low immunogenicity. However, the biocompatibility, nanotoxicology, and long-term in vivo effect of these nanomaterials have not been fully scrutinized. The aim is to develop a new generation of enzyme-mimetic systems based on biocompatible/biodegradable polymers. These systems will be prepared by conjugating SOD and CAT mimicking organometallic compounds to polymers with proven biosafety. Manganese coordinated porphyrins were developed as SOD mimics, and iron-centered porphyrins were found to act as CAT mimetics. The polymer conjugate is expected to self-assemble into a nanostructure and perform enzyme-mimetic catalysis reactions to degrade ROS. The proposed system offers ROS-scavenging and oxidative stress alleviation, fine-tuning catalytic performance, high biocompatibility, and low cost compared to natural enzymes. This proposal brings a novel concept to the multidisciplinary field of research and could open up new opportunities for developing futuristic nanomedicine against chronic diseases.