Activating MoO₃ nanobelts via aqueous intercalation as a near‐infrared type I photosensitizer for photodynamic periodontitis treatment

Abstract

Although molybdenum trioxide nanomaterials have been widely explored as nanoagents for biomedical applications against bacteria through photothermal therapy, chemodynamic therapy, and catalytic therapy, their utilization as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT) have been rarely reported so far. Herein, we report the activation of MoO3 nanobelts via aqueous co‐intercalation of Na+ and H2O into their van der Waals gaps as a near‐infrared Type I photosensitizer for photodynamic periodontitis treatment. The Na+/H2O intercalation of MoO3 nanobelts can shorten its length, generate rich oxygen vacancies, and enlarge its interlayer gaps. Such structural changes thus can induce the color change from white to dark blue with a strong near‐infrared (NIR) absorption. When used as a photosensitizer, the I‐MoO3−x nanobelts exhibit much higher activities for the generation of superoxide radical (·O2−) under an 808 nm laser irradiation than that of the pristine MoO3 nanobelts. Therefore, the prepared I‐MoO3−x nanobelts show a spectral antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces aureus, thus yielding a good clinical therapeutic effect on periodontitis. Our study proves that aqueous intercalation can be a simple but powerful strategy to activate layered MoO3 nanomaterials for high‐performance PDT.

Recent advances using MXenes in biomedical applications

“…Environmentally-responsive 2D materials with a broad range of biomedical applications have been developed in previous studies. [17][18][19][20][21] For example, Shen and co-workers have shown that cobalt-molybdenum-based 2D layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets (CoMo-LDH) can be used for photoresponsive dynamic therapy for cancer treatment. The CoMo-LDH nanosheets contain, by design, defects in the structure that enhance their photocatalytic and electrocatalytic activities.…”

“…Additionally, another group confirmed that molybdenum trioxide (MoO 3 ) nanomaterials have a photodynamic effect which can be used for antimicrobial applications. 81 They co-intercalated H 2 O and Na + into the nanobelt of MoO 3 nanomaterials to shorten the length of the nanobelt. This change in the MoO 3 structure enhanced the absorption of NIR and generated more superoxide radicals targeting Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces aureus.…”

Hydroxyl-functionalized pillar[5]arene with high separation performance for gas chromatography

“…6 It is also of paramount necessity in chemical and environmental fields to selectively separate tough isomers with similar structures and properties, such as halogenated benzenes and aromatic amines. 7–12 However, commercialized polysiloxane (PDMS), polyethylene glycols (PEG) and ionic liquids (ILs) columns tend to show partial overlapped or coeluted peaks when separating challenging isomers, degrading the accuracy of the analysis. 13–17 Sample derivatization and inactivation are currently applied to solve the above problem, which requires additional procedures but results in extra expenditure and low efficiency.…”

Aluminum-Decorated MIL-100(Fe) Nanozyme for the Detection of Glutathione

“…Nanozyme is a new generation of artificial enzyme, which has the advantages of adjustable catalytic activity, low cost of ownership, and good stability. − Due to their extensive potential applications, nanozymes have emerged as a burgeoning field that bridges biology and nanotechnology. − However, the activity and selectivity of nanozymes still need to be improved, and the biocompatibility is also a challenging issue . In order to overcome the above constraints, various strategies have been suggested to control the catalytic activity of nanozymes by means of surface modification, element doping, or construction of composite nanomaterials, among which surface modification has been an effective strategy to improve the nanozyme performance.…”