journal article·2026-05-26Open access

Oxygen Vacancy‐Enriched Platinum Single‐Atom Nanozyme Wrapped in Nanoislands: Unlocking Catalytic Activity and Reprogramming Redox Microenvironment for Osteonecrosis Repair

Yang Zhu, Zehui Lv, Xuejie Cai, Penghui Wei, Dengliang Wang, Zhao Wang, Ruoying Wang, Yingjie Wang, Xingdong Yang, Yixin Bian, Jiawei Xu, Xisheng Weng, Liangfeng Wei

Abstract

ABSTRACT Excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) impairs bone regeneration and angiogenesis in steroid‐induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH), yet current antioxidant therapies remain limited by low catalytic efficiency and short duration. Single‐atom nanozymes (SANs), with their well‐defined structures and maximal atomic efficiency, show great potential for treating ROS‐induced diseases by mimicking natural enzymes. However, the strong binding between transition metal sites and electron‐donating intermediates (e.g., O*, OH*, OOH*) creates high energy barriers, limiting their catalytic activities. Herein, single‐atomic platinum is successfully embedded into CeO 2‐x to form CeO 2‐x /Pt SANI, which enhanced catalytic activity via an “island‐sea” synergistic effect. Leveraging the unique charge‐transfer structures and confinement effect of nanoislands, CeO 2‐x /Pt SANI exhibits superior enzymatic activities than CeO 2 , attribute to the island‐sea synergistic effect that facilitates strong electron transfer, as proved by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. DFT calculations further demonstrate that Pt incorporation increases oxygen vacancies and tunes the d‐band center toward the Fermi level, facilitating ROS adsorption and accelerating redox reactions. Single‐cell sequencing and experimental results confirm that CeO 2‐x /Pt SANI reprograms the oxidative microenvironment, leading to significant therapeutic effects in SONFH. This study provides insights into the rational design of an advanced “island‐sea” structured single‐atom nanozyme to optimize the catalytic activity.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Nanomaterials in Catalysis · Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics · Nanocluster Synthesis and Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Research Institute The First Affiliated Hospital Fujian Medical University Fuzhou Fujian China

Department of Neurosurgery, National Regional Medical Center Binhai Campus of the First Affiliated Hospital Fujian Medical University Fuzhou Fujian China

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases Peking Union Medical College Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College Beijing China

Department of Neurosurgery Fuzong Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University Fuzhou Fujian China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Fujian Provincial Health Technology Project

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