Multifunctional MoS2 composite nanomaterials for drug delivery and synergistic photothermal therapy in cancer treatment

Due to its excellent photothermal performance, MoS 2 is more and more widely used in cancer treatment. In this study, a novel MoS 2 composite nanosheets material with lamellar structure and good water solubility (BBPL-MoS 2 -LP) was synthesized, which had high photothermal conversion efficiency and good biocompatibility. The drug loading efficiency of doxorubicin (DOX) on the composite nanosheets reached 34.43%. Compared with the drug release rate of 15% at pH 7.0, the release degree of DOX was higher at a slightly acidic environment of pH 5.5, reaching 30%. Under the irradiation of near infrared laser (NIR), the drug release was significantly enhanced, indicating that the composite material can be used as a dual response system. The release of DOX would be controlled by pH and near infrared laser (NIR) irradiation. It was also found that BBPL-MoS 2 -LP could effectively penetrate cell membrane under the endocytosis mechanism mediated by biotin receptor and release drugs in HeLa cells. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis experiments showed that BBPL-MoS 2 -LP had better ability to kill HeLa cells than single drug or photothermal irradiation alone. The as-prepared multifunctional composite nanosheets in this study has great potential in effective drug delivery and photothermal chemotherapy for tumor treatment.