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

  • Adv Healthc Mater. 2026 Mar 9:e05286. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202505286.
Fei Wu  1  2  3  4 Jiani Huang  2  3  4 Jing Wang  2  3  4 Rongrong Wu  5 Hang Zhang  2  3  4 Chentao Jin  1  2  3  4  6 Cheng Chen  2  3  4 Rui Zhou  1  2  3  4 Peili Cen  2  3  4 Liangfei Tian  7 Yuanyi Zheng  5 Xiaojun Cai  5 Mei Tian  8 Hong Zhang  1  2  3  4  6  7 Yan Zhong  1  2  3  4  6
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China.
  • 2. Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
  • 3. Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
  • 4. Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Imaging of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
  • 5. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Neuro-Ultrasound for Diagnosis and Treatment, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
  • 6. Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
  • 7. College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
  • 8. Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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, O2 -, and H2O2 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.

Keywords
Alzheimer's disease; cognitive impairment; nanozyme; prussian blue; tau pathology.
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