catalase

Overview

Catalase is a heme-containing antioxidant enzyme that catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. By removing hydrogen peroxide, it helps limit oxidative damage to lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids and works in concert with other redox defenses such as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and the broader Nrf2-associated antioxidant genes network. Catalase is therefore a central component of cellular antioxidant homeostasis and is frequently used as a biochemical readout of oxidative stress in biomedical research.

In recent literature, catalase has also appeared as a therapeutic target, a biomimetic function, or a catalytic activity incorporated into nanomaterials and hydrogels. Studies have examined catalase in contexts including renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, cataract, hepatocellular carcinoma, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, chronic mountain sickness, neurodegeneration, diabetes-related tissue injury, and nanoparticle-induced oxidative stress. Across these settings, catalase is typically discussed in relation to reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial dysfunction, ferroptosis, senescence markers such as p16 and p21, and signaling pathways including PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, FOXO3, SIRT1/HIF-1α pathway, and Nrf2-related antioxidant responses.

Focus of Latest Publications

Recent publications portray catalase in three main roles: as an endogenous antioxidant marker, as a mechanistic node in oxidative-stress biology, and as a functional component of engineered therapeutic systems.

Several studies used catalase activity as a biomarker of oxidative injury or treatment response. In animal and cellular models, catalase levels were reported to fall during toxic or disease-associated stress and rise after protective interventions. Examples include acrylamide toxicity in Nile tilapia, carbendazim exposure in fish, polystyrene nanoplastic exposure in goldfish, UVB-induced skin photodamage, doxorubicin-induced neurotoxicity, and diabetic reproductive injury. In these settings, catalase was measured alongside superoxide dismutase, glutathione, malondialdehyde, and total antioxidant capacity to characterize redox imbalance. Protective agents such as metformin, zingerone, pinostrobin, silybin-collagen XVII composite nanoemulsion, Chlorophytum borivilianum, and encapsulated pomegranate peel polyphenols were reported to restore catalase activity and reduce oxidative damage.

Catalase also appeared as a mechanistic target in pathway-focused studies. One report on Tibetan medicine Bawei Chenxiang Wan described attenuation of chronic mountain sickness through the AKT/FOXO3a/CAT axis, linking catalase to FOXO3-mediated antioxidant regulation. Another study on SIRT1 and UVA-induced photoaging found that SIRT1 could transcriptionally upregulate CAT together with SOD2 and HO-1, supporting a role for catalase in anti-photoaging defense. In colorectal cancer cells, PhIP exposure was associated with altered catalase and SOD2 expression, while glioma research reported suppression of catalase activity under oxidative stress conditions. These findings place catalase within broader redox and survival networks involving PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, nuclear factor kappa B, and Nrf2-associated antioxidant genes.

A second major theme is catalase as a therapeutic mimic or engineered functional element. Multiple nanomaterials were designed with catalase-like activity or were directly functionalized with catalase. Examples include Mn-chelating L-serine nanoarchitectures with SOD- and catalase-like activity for renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, cerium oxide nanozymes that mimic catalase through a Ce3+/Ce4+ redox cycle for cataract treatment, ROS-responsive nanodiscs with intrinsic SOD/catalase-mimetic activity for bladder pain syndrome, Mg/Mn-based nanozymes in injectable hydrogels for periodontal bone resorption, and black phosphorus nanosheets covalently functionalized with catalase for photo-/radio-therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma. These studies emphasize catalase as a practical antioxidant function that can be engineered into biomaterials to scavenge reactive oxygen species, improve mitochondrial function, and support tissue repair or anticancer therapy.

Catalase was also used experimentally as a ROS scavenger or comparator in mechanistic studies. In ZnO nanoparticle exposure in Caenorhabditis elegans, catalase helped establish that mitochondrial electron transport chain-derived ROS contributed to ferritinophagy-mediated ferroptosis and developmental delay. In other work, catalase was part of antioxidant panels used to assess the effects of cumin oil, grape seed oil nanoemulsion, royal jelly, tea polyphenol-chitosan composites, black maca nano-emulsion, Artemisia diet, and other interventions. These studies collectively reinforce catalase as a standard indicator of oxidative stress and a functional mediator of antioxidant defense.

Key Publications

• Jun Manganese-Chelating L-Serine Nanoarchitectures: Targeting Kidney Injury Molecule-1 for Reversing Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via Senescence Regulation. (Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English), 2026, PMID 42101336): "we identified Mn-chelating L-serine (L-SerMn) as the optimal nanoarchitecture, displaying robust superoxide dismutase (SOD)- and catalase (CAT)-like activities."
• Jun Protective effects of cumin oil against nandrolone decanoate-induced liver injury in rats. (Journal of molecular histology, 2026, PMID 42319503): "Dose-ranging, safety evaluation, batch-specific chemical profiling, preparation standardization, and mechanistic studies incorporating antioxidant/oxidative stress markers such as MDA, GSH, SOD, CAT, GPx, and molecular endpoints are needed to clarify pathways and translational relevance."
• Jun Immune-antioxidant potential, splenic cytokines regulation, and tissue architecture restoration by grape seed oil nanoemulsion in Nile tilapia subjected to acrylamide toxicity. (Fish physiology and biochemistry, 2026, PMID 42310230): "AC exposure significantly reduced growth parameters (p<0.0001), including weight gain and specific growth rate, and induced pronounced immunosuppression and oxidative stress, evidenced by decreased lysozyme activity, complement 3, total protein, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activities, concomitant with elevated malondialdehyde levels."
• Jun Biomimetic catalase-engineered black phosphorus nanosheets enhance photo-/radio-therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. (Biomedical materials (Bristol, England), 2026, PMID 42306934): "Herein, we developed a biomimetic nanoplatform by functionalizing black phosphorus nanosheets (BP) with catalase (CAT), forming a stable nanocomposite (BPCAT) via covalent bonding between carboxyl and hydroxyl groups."
• Jun A regenerative cerium oxide nanozyme for cataract treatment via oxidative stress regulation. (Biomaterials science, 2026, PMID 42108912): "CNP mimic the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) through a dynamic Ce3+/Ce4+ redox cycle on their surface."
• Jun Cord-blood-PRP attenuates fibrogenic features of TGFβ-activated hepatic stellate cells in in vitro and animal models. (Bioorganic chemistry, 2026, PMID 41844050): "UCB-PRP is enriched with bioactive components such as vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2), and catalase, which are known to promote tissue regeneration and exhibit anti-fibrotic properties."
• Jun ZnO nanoparticles induce developmental delay in Caenorhabditis elegans via SLC-30A9-mediated ferritinophagy-ferroptosis axis. (Ecotoxicology and environmental safety, 2026, PMID 42140120): "With the help of ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1, iron chelator deferoxamine, autophagy inhibitor chloroquine, and ROS scavenger catalase, we found that mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC)-derived ROS triggered ferritinophagy-mediated ferroptotic cascade, leading to developmental delay when exposed to ZnO NPs."
• Jun Metformin attenuates neurodegeneration in ICV-STZ-induced Alzheimer's model via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms: implications for disease-modifying therapy. (Neuroscience letters, 2026, PMID 42067052): "Metformin treatment significantly enhanced hippocampal catalase activity while reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) and total oxidative status (TOS) levels in both brain and serum."
• Jun Survival-enhancement potential of tea polyphenol-chitosan composites for Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) during anhydrous low-temperature preservation and its multiple mechanisms. (Food chemistry, 2026, PMID 41950699): "Key antioxidant enzyme activities, including SOD, CAT, POD, and GSH-PX, were increased."
• Jun Influence of black Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) nano-emulsion on growth parameters, circulating testosterone, testicular vascular dynamics, and antioxidant defences in New Zealand white rabbit bucks. (Tropical animal health and production, 2026, PMID 42283893): "Catalase and total antioxidant capacity had significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the M60-treated group compared to M0."