Facile synthesis of MoS2@red phosphorus heterojunction for synergistically photodynamic and photothermal therapy of renal cell carcinoma

The therapy of the clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is crucial for the human healthcare due to its easy metastasis and recurrence, as well as resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In this work, we propose the synthesis of MoS₂@red phosphorus (MoS₂@RP) heterojunction to induce synergistic photodynamic and photothermal therapy (PDT/PTT) of ccRCC. The MoS₂@RP heterojunction exhibits enhanced spectra absorption in the NIR range and produce local heat-increasing under the NIR laser irradiation compared with pure MoS₂ and RP. The high photocatalytic activity of the MoS₂@RP heterojunction contributes to effective transferring of the photo-excited electrons from the RP to MoS₂, which promotes the production of various types of radical oxygen species (ROS) to kill the ccRCC cells. After the NIR irradiation, the MoS₂@RP can effectively induce the Apoptosis in the ccRCC cells through localized hyperthermia and the generation of ROS, while exhibiting low cytotoxicity towards normal kidney cells. In comparison to MoS₂, the MoS₂@RP heterojunction shows an approximate increase of 22 % in the lethality rate of the ccRCC cells and no significant change in toxicity towards normal cells. Furthermore, the PDT/PTT treatment using the MoS₂@RP heterojunction effectively eradicates a substantial number of deep-tissue ccRCC cells in vivo without causing significant damage to major organs. This study presents promising effect of the MoS₂@RP heterojunction-based photo-responsive therapy for effective ccRCC treatment.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma; Heterojunction; Photodynamic therapy; Photothermal therapy; Red phosphorus.