MoS2@AuNRs nanoparticles equipped with MnO2 nanosheets as an efficient NIR/pH/GSH triple-responsive drug delivery carrier

MnO 2 nanosheets have attracted extensive attention in the field of photothermal therapy due to their excellent pH/glutathione (GSH) responsiveness. In this study, MoS 2 @gold nanorods (AuNRs)/polydopamine (PDA)@MnO 2 (400–500 nm) nanocomposites with controllable drug release property were prepared by covering MnO 2 nanosheets around near-infrared (NIR) responsive MoS 2 @AuNRs (100–200 nm) via in-situ redox reaction. The large surface area and strong negative charge of MnO 2 nanosheets ensured that MoS 2 @AuNRs/PDA@MnO 2 had a high loading efficiency of 92.44 % for doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX). MoS 2 @AuNRs/PDA@MnO 2 revealed significant NIR/pH/GSH triple-responsive drug release properties owing to the synergistically enhanced NIR photothermal-response of MoS 2 @AuNRs (61.10 % of photothermal conversion efficiency) and the reaction between MnO 2 and GSH in weakly acidic media. In addition, in vitro cell viability results confirmed that MoS 2 @AuNRs/PDA@MnO 2 could efficiently kill tumor cells under the dual action of acidic media and NIR laser. This study develops a novel nanocarrier with NIR/pH/GSH triple-responsive drug delivery capability, which has broad applications in photothermal therapy and intelligent drug delivery.