MoS₂@C nanosphere as near infrared / pH dual response platform for chemical photothermal combination treatment

The three-dimensional urchin-like MoS₂@C nanocomposite was successfully synthesized via one-step hydrothermal synthesis approach. The as-prepared MoS₂@C nanoparticles exhibits strong absorb, high photothermal conversion ability (40.8 %), superb biocompatibility and high drug loading capacity for doxorubicin (52.34 %). In vitro drug release experiments show a pH, temperature and near infrared laser-triggered doxorubicinhydro release profile that enhances therapeutic anticancer effects. The drug release curve increased step by step under laser irradiation, and the accumulative delivery amount reached to 64.59 %, which was about 2 times of that without laser irradiation. By using DOX-loaded nano-platform, effective synergistic photothermal therapy for cancer can be achieved and has been systematically verified in vitro. Cell viability experiments showed that the survival rate of cells with MoS₂ @C-DOX was only 25.8 %. Therefore, this work presents carbon-based nanoparticles with significant characteristics and is used as a highly potential therapeutic nano-platform for cancer treatment.