Preparation and study of a MoS ₂ nanosheet based nanoplatform for a cancer detection and treatment system equipped with an antibody–antigen based recognition element.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly aggressive type of cancer caused by the uncontrolled proliferation of undifferentiated myeloblasts, affecting the bone marrow and blood. Systemic chemotherapy is considered the primary treatment strategy; unfortunately, healthy cells are also affected to a large extent, leading to severe side effects of this treatment. Targeted drug therapies are becoming increasingly popular in modern medicine, as they bypass normal tissues and cells. Two-dimensional MoS ₂ -based nanomaterials have attracted attention in the biomedical field as promising agents for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Cancer cells typically (over)express distinctive cytoplasmic membrane-anchored or -spanning protein-based structures (e.g., receptors, enzymes) that distinguish them from healthy, non-cancerous cells. Targeting cancer cells via tumor-specific markers using MoS ₂ -based nanocarriers loaded with labels or drugs can significantly improve specificity and reduce side effects of such treatment. SKM-1 is an established AML cell line that has been employed in various bio-research applications. However, to date, it has not been used as the subject of studies on selective cancer targeting by inorganic nanomaterials. Here, we demonstrate an efficient targeting of AML cells using MoS ₂ nanoflakes prepared by a facile exfoliation route and functionalized with anti-CD33 antibody that binds to CD33 receptors expressed by SKM-1 cells. Microscopic analyses by confocal laser scanning microscopy supplemented by label-free confocal Raman microscopy proved that (anti-CD33)-MoS ₂ conjugates were present on the cell surface and within SKM-1 cells, presumably having been internalized via CD33-mediated endocytosis. Furthermore, the cellular uptake of SKM-1 specific (anti-CD33)-MoS ₂ conjugates assessed by flow cytometry analysis was significantly higher compared with the cellular uptake of SKM-1 nonspecific (anti-GPC3)-MoS ₂ conjugates. Our results indicate the importance of appropriate functionalization of MoS ₂ nanomaterials by tumor-recognizing elements that significantly increase their specificity and hence suggest the utilization of MoS ₂ -based nanomaterials in the diagnosis and therapy of AML.

Ubiquitous carbon nanomaterials have great potential for emerging technologies, but they also pose a threat to human health at the end of their lifecycle, especially when they are introduced into waste or ground waters. Graphene field-effect transistors (GFET) and real time in situ confocal Raman microscopy (CRM) were employed to detect a submonolayer of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) in water. An effective GFET channel was formed on exfoliated and chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene. The adsorption of CQDs was monitored by measuring conductance changes in GFETs. The graphene channel was functionalized with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES), which allowed for easy observation of a shift in the charge neutrality point (CNP) when the graphene channel was exposed to CQDs. The affinity of the CQD’s carboxyl terminal groups to the aminofunctionalized channel enabled a highly sensitive CQD detection based on changes in the GFET conductivity. The adsorption of the CQDs induced a positive shift of the CNP with a limit of detection at concentrations of 239 ppm and 62 ppm for the exfoliated and CVD graphene, respectively. A supporting study of graphene functionalization and CQD adsorption was performed by real time in situ CRM, ellipsometry, and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.