The application of hierarchy MoS₂ particles for NIR induced drug delivery towards liver cancer treatment

This paper applied hierarchy MoS₂ particles for near-infrared induced drug delivery towards liver cancer treatment. MoS₂ particles were used as the photothermal responsive agent, 1-tetradecanol was used as the phase change material, doxorubicin was encapsulated into the particles, and MoS₂/1-tetradecanol@doxorubicin composite was synthesized. The drug release was tested under near-infrared irradiation. Within the MoS₂/1-tetradecanol@doxorubicin composite, the photothermal response of MoS₂ to near-infrared facilitated the phase change of 1-tetradecanol and the release of doxorubicin. The release of doxorubicin could be regulated by both the MoS₂ concentration and the irradiation power. The cytotoxicity study indicated that MoS₂/1-tetradecanol had negligible toxicity to the HepG2 cells, while MoS₂/1-tetradecanol@doxorubicin had more tumor-killing effects than free doxorubicin. This research showed that hierarchy MoS₂ particles had the potential of delivering anti-tumor drugs through photothermal stimuli. (paper)