Cysteamine functionalized MoS2 quantum dots inhibit amyloid aggregation

In this study, cysteamine-functionalized molybdenum disulfide quantum dots (MoS 2 QDs) were synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal method . A range of techniques including of Thioflavin T and 8-Anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid fluorescence assays , circular dichroism , and transmission electron microscope have been employed to determination the efficacy of MoS 2 QDs on the inhibition/reversion of fibrillation and hindering cytotoxicity induced by protofibrils and amyloid fibrils of bovine serum albumin (BSA). Results demonstrated that MoS 2 QDs could effectively inhibit the fibrillogenesis and destabilize preformed fibrils of BSA in a concentration-dependent manner. Cytotoxicity protection and imagine on Hela cells was investigated using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. It was found that MoS 2 QDs not only has good biocompatibility, low toxicity and good cell penetration, but also could effectively decrease the cytotoxicity caused by the formed fibrils of BSA. The results obtained in this work suggested the potential biological application of MoS 2 QDs in therapeutics and provided new insight into the design of multifunctional nanomaterials for amyloid-related diseases.