Influence of polycrystalline MoS2 nanoflowers on mouse breast cancer cell proliferation via molten salt sintering

In this paper, polycrystalline molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) nanoflowers were prepared by mixing ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate [(NH 4 ) 6 Mo 7 O 24 ·4H 2 O] and potassium thiocyanate (KSCN) at 300 °C for 2 h via molten salt sintering method. Under scanning electron microscope (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), MoS 2 showed popcorn-like shape, which surface distribution defects were easy to be further modified. MoS 2 as a nano-enzyme was used to inhibit the proliferation of mouse breast cancer cells (4 T1), which had 69.8 % inhibitory effect on 4 T1 cell proliferation. Electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis showed that MoS 2 could produce a large number of stable hydroxyl radicals (–OH). The disulfide bond in MoS 2 was highly sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS). High ROS level leads to the death of cancer cells under oxidative stress and inhibits the proliferation of 4 T1. This work demonstrates that MoS 2 is a potential anticancer drug or carrier for cancer treatment.