Application of Polymer Chemistry Tools to Engineer Nanozyme Antioxidants

Oxidative-stress is researched as the clandestine cause of several diseases and is associated with our daily lifestyle, for its induction is caused by familiar phenomena, e.g., smoking and workplace stress. Given the limitations of the natural/conventional antioxidant therapeutics, nanozymes—as nanomaterials introducing enzymatic features—are investigated as promising alternatives. Here, I aim to apply advanced polymer chemistry tools to augment/develop two distinct classes of nanozyme antioxidants, inorganic (nanoceria) and organic (nitroxides). Thus, antioxidant performance of nanoceria is enhanced by improving their colloidal stability using a novel polyethylene glycol (PEG) design, and nitroxides are, for the first time, incorporated into poly(2-oxazoline) (POx)-based nanoparticles—as polymeric nanozymes—with improved biologically-relevant properties.