Novel 2D MXene Cobalt Ferrite (CoF@Ti₃C₂) Composite: A Promising Photothermal Anticancer In Vitro Study

In search of materials with superior capability of light-to-heat (photothermal) conversion, biocompatibility, and confinement of active photothermal materials within the cells, novel magnetic MXene-based nanocomposites are found to possess all of these criteria. The CoF@Ti₃C₂ composite is fabricated by a simple two-step method, including an exfoliation strategy followed by sonochemical method. MXene composite has been modified with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to improve the stability in physiological conditions. The synthesized composite was characterized with multiple analytical tools. In vitro photothermal conversion efficiency of composite was determined by the time constant method and achieved η = 34.2% with an NIR 808 nm laser. In vitro, cytotoxicity studies conducted on human malignant melanoma (Ht144) and cells validated the photothermal property of the CoF@Ti₃C₂-PVP composite in the presence of an NIR laser (808 nm, 1.0 W cm^-2), with significantly increased cytotoxicity. Calculated IC₅₀ values were 86 μg/mL with laser, compared to 226 μg/mL without the presence of NIR laser. Microscopic results demonstrated increased apoptosis in the presence of NIR laser. Additionally, hemolysis assay confirmed biocompatibility of CoF@Ti₃C₂-PVP composite for intravenous applications at the IC₅₀ concentration. The research described in this work expands the potential applications of MXene-based nanoplatforms in the biomedical field, particularly in photothermal therapy (PTT). Furthermore, the addition of cobalt ferrite serves as a magnetic nanocomposite, which eventually helps to confine therapeutic photothermal materials inside the cells, provides enhanced photothermal conversion efficiency, and creates externally controlled theranostic nanoplatforms for cancer therapy.