The Role and Mechanism of Nanozymes in Burn Wound Healing

The treatment of burn wounds is a complex and lengthy process, including infection control, inflammation modulation, tissue regeneration, and scar management. Although significant progress has been achieved, numerous clinical challenges persist, especially the increased bacterial resistance, the risk of wound sepsis, and the issue of serious hypertrophic scar. In recent years, nanozymes have emerged as a hotspot in materials research and increasingly been applied to promote burn wound healing. Possessing multiple enzyme-like activities, nanozymes can integrate antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and pro-angiogenic effects, among others. Meanwhile, nanozymes offer advantages such as less prone to inducing drug resistance, high stability, and simple preparation, which indicate broad application prospects compared with antibiotics, natural enzymes, and traditional nanomaterials. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the pathophysiology involved in burn wounds and introduces nanozymes exhibiting a variety of enzyme-like activities including oxidase (OXD), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), haloperoxidase (HPO), nitrite reductase (NiRs), and hydrolase. The potential mechanisms by which nanozymes promote burn wound healing are summarized and elucidated from the aspects of anti-bacteria, anti-oxidative stress, anti-inflammation, pro-angiogenesis, and anti-scarring. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the current study and offer an outlook for future research, hoping to pave the way for the next generation nanozymes in the treatment of burn wounds.