Find in Library

Premature drug release and poor controllability is a challenge in the practical application of tumor therapy, which may lead to poor chemotherapy efficacy and severe adverse effects. In this study, a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-cleavable nanoparticle system (MXene-TK-DOX@PDA) was designed for effective chemotherapy drug delivery and antibacterial applications. Doxorubicin (DOX) was conjugated to the surface of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES)-functionalized MXene via an ROS-cleavable diacetoxyl thioketal (TK) linkage. Subsequently, the surfaces of the MXene nanosheets were coated with pH-responsive polydopamine (PDA) as a gatekeeper. PDA endowed the MXene-TK-DOX@PDA nanoparticles with superior biocompatibility and stability. The MXene-TK-DOX@PDA nanoparticles had an ultrathin planar structure and a small lateral size of approximately 180 nm. The as-synthesized nanoparticles demonstrated outstanding photothermal conversion efficiency, superior photothermal stability, and a remarkable extinction coefficient (23.3 L g⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 808 nm). DOX exhibited both efficient ROS-responsive and pH-responsive release performance from MXene-TK-DOX@PDA nanoparticles due to the cleavage of the thioketal linker. In addition, MXene-TK-DOX@PDA nanoparticles displayed high antibacterial activity against both Gram-negative <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>) and Gram-positive <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> (<i>B. subtilis</i>) within 5 h. Taken together, we hope that MXene-TK-DOX@PDA nanoparticles will enrich the drug delivery system and significantly expand their applications in the biomedical field