Functionalized MoS₂-nanoparticles for transdermal drug delivery of atenolol

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) has excellent photothermal conversion abilities, an ultra-high specific surface area, and has been extensively explored for use in biomedicine. However, the high toxicity associated with MoS₂ has limited its biological applications for in vivo photothermal therapy and drug delivery systems. Herein, we have developed cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose (JR400) surface-modified MoS₂ nanoparticles (NPs) that are responsive to near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation as a transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS). Herein, we confirmed the preparation of hexagonal phase MoS₂ with robust surface modification with JR400. The flower-like morphology of the NPs had an average diameter of 355 ± 69.3 nm limiting the absorption of the NPs through the stratum corneum. With the ability to efficiently load 90.4 ± 0.3% of the model drug atenolol (ATE), where 1 g of JR400-MoS₂ NPs was able to load 3.6 g ATE, we assayed the controlled release capacity in vitro skin penetration studies. These JR400-MoS₂ NPs showed further enhancement under NIR stimulation, with a 2.3-fold increase in ATE skin penetration. Furthermore, we verified in vivo that these JR400-MoS₂ NPs do not cause skin irritation suggesting that they are promising new TDDS candidates for small molecule drugs.