niobium-carbide and Neoplasms

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), an emerging treatment for solid tumors, has the advantages of deep tissue penetration, non-invasiveness, low side effects, and negligible drug resistance. However, the hypoxic environment of deep solid tumors can discount the efficacy of oxygenated dependent SDT. Here, we synthesized a polythiophene-based sonosensitizer (PT2) and a two-dimensional pleated niobium carbide (Nb2C) Mxene. PT2 was loaded onto the surface of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-coated Nb2C MXene through electrostatic interaction to obtain Nb2C-PVP-PT2 nanosheets (NSs) with a high loading efficiency of 153.7%. Nb2C MXene exhibited catalase-like activity, which could catalyze hydrogen peroxide (H

Topics: Catalase; Cell Line, Tumor; Humans; Hydrogen Peroxide; Neoplasms

Due to the refractory nature and recurrence of cancer, the related treatments are continuously updated and improved. Here, we designed a soluble polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) microneedle system loaded with a two-dimensional (2D) MXene (Nb2C nanosheets) for medical implantation and photothermal ablation of superficial tumors in the second near infrared biological window (NIR-II). In this system, 2D Nb2C nanosheets acted as high-performance photothermal nanoagents, and biocompatible PVP functioned as matrix material to maintain the structure of the needles. The microneedle system exhibited sufficient skin-penetration ability and distinctive dissolution behavior. After being inserted into the skin of the tumor site, it can be dissolved within a short period to release the loaded 2D Nb2C nanosheets. The temperature of the tumor site increased rapidly to almost 70 °C under the irradiation of a 1064 nm laser at a power density of 1 W cm-2, and this could provide sufficient conditions for photonic tumor ablation. After two weeks of treatment, the tumor growth was significantly suppressed, compared to that of the control group, and the survival rate of mice was clearly improved. In addition, the biocompatibility of the microneedle system was tested on mice, in which no significant toxicity or side effects were observed. Therefore, this kind of microneedle system with minimally invasive, safe and effective features is expected to be developed as an intriguing strategy for localized superficial cancer treatment.

Topics: Animals; Biocompatible Materials; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Compressive Strength; Hyperthermia, Induced; Infrared Rays; Mice; Mice, Nude; Nanostructures; Needles; Neoplasms; Niobium; Phototherapy; Povidone; Skin; Survival Rate; Temperature

Conventionally, ceramics-based materials, fabricated by high-temperature solid-phase reaction and sintering, are preferred as bone scaffolds in hard-tissue engineering because of their tunable biocompatibility and mechanical properties. However, their possible biomedical applications have rarely been considered, especially the cancer phototherapeutic applications in both the first and second near-infrared light (NIR-I and NIR-II) biowindows. In this work, we explore, for the first time as far as we know, a novel kind of 2D niobium carbide (Nb

Topics: Animals; Biocompatible Materials; Cell Line, Tumor; Female; Humans; Hyperthermia, Induced; Infrared Rays; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Nanostructures; Neoplasms; Niobium; Phototherapy