MoS₂/LaF₃ for enhanced photothermal therapy performance of poorly-differentiated hepatoma

Photothermal therapy (PTT) based on nanoparticle had been widely used to antitumor treatment. However, low photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) is the main hurdle for antitumor treatment. To improve the PCE and gain ideal clinical the nanoparticle with higher photothermal conversion efficiency, we have developed a highly efficient solar absorber with MoS₂/LaF₃/ polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) which can enhance the absorption of solar irradiation engergy, however, its photothermal effect irradiated by near-infrared light has not yet been investigated. The knowledge absence in photothermal effect will impede MoS₂/LaF₃/PDMS to be used for cancer therapy in clinic. In this study, we applied LaF₃-loaded, MoS₂-based photothermal conversion agents (PTAs) for improved photothermal cancer therapy. The study showed that the MoS₂/LaF₃ nanoflowers showed higher photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE, 42.5%) and could more effectively inhibit cancer cell proliferation compared to MoS₂-based PTT agents in vitro. In vivo, the results further revealed that photothermal therapy using MoS₂/LaF₃ nanoflowers could significantly inhibit solid tumor growth. The study clearly demonstrated that MoS₂/LaF₃ could work at under low power NIR Laser in vitro and in vivo, resulting in a very impressive therapeutic effect in tumor-bearing mice. The MoS₂/LaF₃ nanoflowers will be prominent candidate nanoparticle for effective inhibiting tumor growth by photothermal therapy.