Modulating Macrophage Polarization for Severe Acute Pancreatitis Therapy via Cisplatin-like Prussian Blue Nanozymes
<b>Rationale:</b> Development of reactive oxygen species (ROS) antioxidants with high biosafety and anti-inflammatory properties for macrophage regulation in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) therapy remains challenging. Here, we engineered a cisplatin-like calcium hexacyanoferrate Prussian blue nanozyme (Cri-Pt-CaFe<sub>PB</sub>) that functioned as a ROS scavenger to modulate macrophage polarization. <b>Methods:</b> The Cri-Pt-CaFe<sub>PB</sub> was prepared using a stepwise freeze-thaw method, and its structure and long-term stability were characterized by transmission electron microscope and dynamic light scatting. Subsequently, <i>in vitro</i> experiments were conducted to investigate the cytotoxicity and protective effects of Cri-Pt-CaFe<sub>PB</sub>. Fluorescence imaging and ICP-MS were applied to monitor its biodistribution and pharmacokinetics <i>in vivo</i>. Moreover, the biochemical kits, immunofluorescence, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and western blot were utilized to clarify <i>in vivo</i> therapeutic effect of Cri-Pt-CaFe<sub>PB</sub> in SAP mice. <b>Results:</b> Pt(VI) precursor was covalently coordinated with ultramicro CaFe<sub>PB</sub> nanospheres (~5 nm) and then converted into Pt(II) cisplatin-like nanozyme-based antioxidants, exhibiting exceptional ROS scavenging and anti-inflammatory effects at cellular and molecular levels with no toxicity <i>in vitro</i> or <i>in vivo</i>. Density functional theory simulation reveals the key role of Cri-Pt-CaFe<sub>PB</sub> with high peroxidase activity to the anti-inflammation treatment. Remarkably, the Cri-Pt-CaFe<sub>PB</sub> can protect the pancreas from oxidative stress damage and induce M1 to M2 macrophages repolarization after intravenous administration by downregulating CD86 protein expression (an M1 marker) and activating Arg-1 protein (an M2 marker), effectively reversing inflammatory damage in SAP and inhibiting the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study highlights the feasibility of Cri-Pt-CaFe<sub>PB</sub> nanozymes as ROS scavengers to regulate macrophage polarization towards M2 phenotype, which offers a novel effective nanomedicine strategy.
Authors
- Zhong Cao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8521-2552)
- Jishan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8144-361X)
- Yinghui Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6592-6678)
- Donghong Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3035-5035)
- Rui Cai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6499-2091)
- Sulai Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5257-3922)
- Ling Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2652-8105)
- Yufeng Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6291-8453)
- Yuhang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1935-5947)
- Shu-Ju Liao
Institutions
- Hunan University (CN)
- Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CN)
- State Key Laboratory of Chemobiosensing and Chemometrics (CN)
- Changsha University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Aalborg University (DK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Theranostics
- Published
- 2025-08-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7150/thno.113523
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.67