Prussian Blue Nanozyme Disrupts the Self‐Reinforcing Loop of Tauopathy via Triple‐Action Mechanism

Tauopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease, are driven by a self-reinforcing pathological triad of tau aggregation, oxidative stress, and autophagy dysfunction, which remains inadequately addressed by single-target therapies. Herein, we engineer an ultrasmall Prussian blue nanozyme (PBzyme) as a multienzyme-mimetic and multi-target agent to concurrently disrupt this vicious cycle. PBzyme functions as a potent tau fibril inhibitor, with molecular dynamics simulations revealing high-affinity binding to β-sheet domains (-400 kJ/mol), thereby reducing tau phosphorylation and hippocampal burden. In parallel, PBzyme acts as a multifunctional antioxidant enzyme mimic, efficiently neutralizing •OH, O<sub>2</sub> <sup>-</sup>, and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> to alleviate oxidative injury. Furthermore, PBzyme restores autophagic flux by activating AMPK/ULK1 signaling while inhibiting the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), thereby promoting the clearance of tau aggregates. In an okadaic acid-induced tauopathy rat model, PBzyme treatment effectively preserved synaptic integrity, suppressed neuroinflammation, mitigated neuronal loss, and rescued cognitive deficits. Notably, PBzyme enters cells to counteract intracellular tau and ROS, overcoming a key limitation of conventional biologics. This work establishes PBzyme as an integrated nanoagent offering a synergistic therapeutic strategy against tauopathies and other ROS-related neurodegenerative diseases.

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Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Healthcare Materials
Published
2026-03-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202505286
Primary Topic
Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis
Type
article
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article

Prussian Blue Nanozyme Disrupts the Self‐Reinforcing Loop of Tauopathy via Triple‐Action Mechanism

Peili Cen, Yi Zhong, Chentao Jin, Chao Chen et al.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis
article

Prussian Blue Nanozyme Disrupts the Self‐Reinforcing Loop of Tauopathy via Triple‐Action Mechanism

Peili Cen, Yi Zhong, Chentao Jin, Chao Chen, Li Tian, Xun Cai, Mei Tian, Jing Wang, Fei Wu, Rui Zhou, Hong Zhang, Yuanyi Zheng, Hang Zhang, Jiani Huang, Rongrong Wu
article en

Abstract

Tauopathies, such as Alzheimer's disease, are driven by a self-reinforcing pathological triad of tau aggregation, oxidative stress, and autophagy dysfunction, which remains inadequately addressed by single-target therapies. Herein, we engineer an ultrasmall Prussian blue nanozyme (PBzyme) as a multienzyme-mimetic and multi-target agent to concurrently disrupt this vicious cycle. PBzyme functions as a potent tau fibril inhibitor, with molecular dynamics simulations revealing high-affinity binding to β-sheet domains (-400 kJ/mol), thereby reducing tau phosphorylation and hippocampal burden. In parallel, PBzyme acts as a multifunctional antioxidant enzyme mimic, efficiently neutralizing •OH, O<sub>2</sub> <sup>-</sup>, and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> to alleviate oxidative injury. Furthermore, PBzyme restores autophagic flux by activating AMPK/ULK1 signaling while inhibiting the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), thereby promoting the clearance of tau aggregates. In an okadaic acid-induced tauopathy rat model, PBzyme treatment effectively preserved synaptic integrity, suppressed neuroinflammation, mitigated neuronal loss, and rescued cognitive deficits. Notably, PBzyme enters cells to counteract intracellular tau and ROS, overcoming a key limitation of conventional biologics. This work establishes PBzyme as an integrated nanoagent offering a synergistic therapeutic strategy against tauopathies and other ROS-related neurodegenerative diseases.

Advanced Healthcare Materials
Ministry of Education (NZ), Fudan University (CN), Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (CN), Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences (CN), Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CN), Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital (CN), Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University (CN), Hangzhou Cancer Hospital (CN), Zhejiang University (CN)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 30%
Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis
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