MoO3-x nanodots with dual enzyme mimic activities as multifunctional modulators for amyloid assembly and neurotoxicity.

Development of effective inhibitors toward Aβ aggregation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers are of crucial therapeutic implications for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Herein, a novel agent with dual enzyme mimic activities has been fabricated as a multifunctional Aβ fibrillation modulator. MoO3-x nanodots were synthesized by pulsed laser ablation (PLA) method in MoS2 nanosheets solutions, which may act directly as numerous fine targets. MoO3-x nanodots showed a uniform and monodispersed morphology, and the tiny dots were around 3-5 nm with a narrow size distribution. Due to the efficient charge transition between Mo5+/Mo6+ on the dots surface, MoO3-x nanodots exhibited excellent catalase and SOD mimic activities, which were adopted to alleviate Aβ-mediated oxidative stress. Moreover, MoO3-x nanodots can efficiently inhibit Aβ aggregation and destabilize the preformed fibrils, and eventually protect neuronal cells from apoptosis induced by Aβ. Taken together, MoO3-x nanodots with multifunctional roles can act as a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of amyloid induced neurotoxicity.