Magnetic WS2 nanosheets functionalized by biomimetic lipids with enhanced dispersibility for combined photothermal and chemotherapy therapy

In recent years, multi-target combination therapy has received extensive attention as a method to improve the effectiveness of tumor treatment. In this study, the tungsten disulfide nanosheets (WS2) were firstly modified with iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs), and then the surface was modified with lipids, to construct a lipid -modified magnetic WS2 composite nanomaterial system (mWS2-lipid). The nanocomposites exhibited high doxorubicin (DOX)-loading amount (179.53 & PLUSMN; 3.24%) and excellent photothermal property, which can reach 60.7 degrees C in 10 min under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation of 808 nm, 2 W/cm2. After lipid modification, the dispersity and stability of nanoparticles in water, phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and cell culture medium were greatly improved. The attached DOX exhibits an obvious dual response of pH and NIR. Cell experiment results show that mWS2-lipid has no obvious cytotoxicity, as for the cytotoxicity of DOX-loaded material as well as photothermal ablation, it was concentration-dependent. Finally, in vivo photothermal experiments confirmed that the modification of the material by lipids increased its accumulation level in tumors. MWS2-lipid is therefore a good choice for cancer therapy combining photothermal treatment with chemotherapy.