Construction of ROS-balancing-engineered heterojunction photoswitch for achieving programmed inflammatory management and tissue regeneration

Abstract

Early instigation and subsequent attenuation of inflammation are crucial for tissue regeneration, which poses a need for inflammatory regulation in the design of materials. In this work, a novel photocatalytic heterojunction consist of MXene, Zr-based porphyrinic metal–organic framework (named PCN-222), and Pt nanoparticles (termed MX/PCN@Pt HJs) is developed to achieve photo-controlled reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and clearance. According to density function theory calculations and related experiments, the unique heterojunction formed by MXene and MOFs, abundant O2 adsorption sites of metal oxide clusters, and porous features of MOFs promoted the adsorption of active reactants and accelerated electron transfer, thereby exhibiting excellent photocatalytic performance. Meanwhile, the PCN-222 with superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and Pt nanoparticles with catalase (CAT) activity endowed the MX/PCN@Pt HJs with SOD/CAT mimetic cascade performance. Through the photo-controlled regulation, the MX/PCN@Pt HJs acted as a photoswitch that flexibly achieved the switch between ROS generation and clearance. Effective production of ROS not only enabled antimicrobial activity but also contributed to a pro-inflammatory state; while the timely ROS scavenging activity effectively prevented the detrimental effects of sustained inflammation. Both in vitro and in vivo evaluations had confirmed the inflammatory modulation and tissue regeneration potency of the MX/PCN@Pt HJs based on the ROS-regulated strategy, which offer a vital understanding of the MOF-based photocatalytic heterojunction for programmed inflammatory regulation.