Inhalable nanocatalytic therapeutics for viral pneumonia

Abstract

Pneumonia is a ubiquitous disease caused by viral and bacterial infections, characterized by high levels of reactive oxygen species in inflamed areas. Therapeutic strategies targeting reactive oxygen species levels in pneumonia have limited success due to the intricate nature of lung tissues and lung inflammatory responses. Here we describe an inhalable, non-invasive therapeutic platform composed of engineered cerium-based tannic acid nanozymes bound to a self-assembling peptide. In vitro and in vivo studies show that the nanozyme is internalized mostly by activated macrophages and epithelial cells in the inflamed sites. In the oxidative environments of a mouse model of viral pneumonia, nanozyme aggregates into catalytically active structures that reduce reactive oxygen species levels and inflammatory cytokine production and promote macrophage polarization to the prohealing (M2) phenotype. Moreover, the nanozyme attenuates bacterial inflammation and reduces tissue damage in a mouse viral pneumonia model with secondary bacterial infection. Overall, this nanozyme platform is a promising strategy for treating pneumonia and its associated conditions.