Radar-like MoS2 nanoparticles as a highly efficient 808 nm laser-induced photothermal agent for cancer therapy

MoS2, a typical transition-metal dichalcogenide, has attracted increasing attention in the field of biomedicine due to its preeminent properties. In this paper, MoS2 nanoparticles with radar-like shapes were demonstrated as 808 nm laser-induced photothermal agents with outstanding photothermal performance. According to our calculations, the radar-like morphology endowed the MoS2 nanoparticles with higher photothermal conversion efficiency (53.3%) compared to other morphologies including nanoflowers, microspheres and irregular nanoparticles. Cytotoxicity assay indicated that the radar-like nanoparticles were biocompatible. Results of in vitro photothermal therapy and apoptosis assay indicated that tumor cells treated with MoS2 radar-like nanoparticles can be seriously damaged. Photothermal therapy on tumor-bearing mice was carried out to further verify the anti-cancer properties of the MoS2 radar-like nanoparticles. All the aforementioned results suggested that the MoS2 radar-like nanoparticles exhibit enormous potential for cancer photothermal therapy.