The marine environment has become a critical reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes, driven largely by antibiotic overuse in aquaculture and the global dissemination of pathogens via ocean currents. While nanozymes offer a promising alternative to conventional antibiotics, their practical deployment in seawater remains fundamentally limited by activity loss under alkaline pH and high salinity. To address this environmental compatibility challenge, we developed a seawater-tolerant nanozyme (VOCN@lys) through lysine functionalization of a MOF-derived vanadium oxide. VOCN@lys operates effectively across a broad pH range (2-10) and under high-salinity conditions by maintaining robust dual enzyme-mimicking (oxidase- and peroxidase-like) activities. Notably, VOCN@lys exhibits potent antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) through its intrinsic nanozyme catalysis, enabling complete bacterial eradication without the need for exogenous H2O2. This work provides an environmentally compatible nanozyme strategy that directly addresses the core limitations of conventional nanomaterials in marine settings, offering a practical approach to mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance in aquatic ecosystems.
Yu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.