Biodegradable Black Phosphorus-based Nanomaterials in Biomedicine: Theranostic Applications

Abstract

Ascribe to the unique two-dimensional planar nanostructure with exceptional physical and chemical properties, black phosphorous (BP) as the emerging inorganic two-dimensional nanomaterial with high biocompatibility and degradability has been becoming one of the most promising materials of great potentials in biomedicine. The exfoliated BP sheets possess ultra-high surface area available for valid bio-conjugation and molecular loading for chemotherapy. Utilizing the intrinsic near-infrared optical absorbance, BP-based photothermal therapy in vivo, photodynamic therapy and biomedical imaging has been realized, achieving unprecedented anti-tumor therapeutic efficacy in animal experiments. Additionally, the BP nanosheets can strongly react with oxygen and water, and finally degrade to non-toxic phosphate and phosphonate in the aqueous solution. This manuscript aimed to summarize the preliminary progresses on theranostic application of BP and its derivatives black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs), and discussed the prospects and the state-of-art unsolved critical issues of using BP-based material for theranostic applications.

Black Phosphorus Quantum Dots Cause Nephrotoxicity in Organoids, Mice, and Human Cells

“…Due to the wide range of QD applications and the potential adverse effects of QDs on the kidney, [ 6,15 ] kidney organoids were used to evaluate the nephrotoxicity of some representative QDs: several heavy metal‐containing QDs (CdTe‐QDs, CdSe/ZnS‐QDs and InP/ZnS‐QDs with different modifications) and two metal‐free QDs (graphene oxide [GO]‐QDs and BP‐QDs). The shapes of the QDs were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (Figure S1, Supporting Information).…”

“…BP‐QDs, a novel type of NM, have demonstrated improved performance in phototherapy and near‐infrared ray imaging than BP nanosheets. [ 15 ] However, there is limited information about the effects of BP‐QDs on the kidney. The need to clarify the biological effects and mechanisms of BP‐QDs is urgent.…”

“…Furthermore, because of quantum confinement and edge effects, ultrasmall and ultrathin BP‐QDs exhibit extraordinary performance in phototherapy and near infrared‐ray imaging. [ 5,14–18 ] However, there have been few studies on the toxicity of BP‐QDs in biological tissues, especially the kidneys.…”

Two-Dimensional Theranostic Nanomaterials in Cancer Treatment: State of the Art and Perspectives

“…BP NSs strongly react with oxygen and water and degrade to non-harmful phosphate, and phosphonate ions since the elemental P atoms are connected by weak forces in the structure. Hence, their accumulation in the body organs is better than other 2D nanomaterials [130]. When The biodegradation rate of exfoliated BP NSs was investigated under distinct atmospheres, viz.…”

Black phosphorus-based photothermal therapy with aCD47-mediated immune checkpoint blockade for enhanced cancer immunotherapy

“…Results on graphene have inspired increased research interest in two-dimensional (2D) materials [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] . Ultrathin 2D black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets (NSs), as a metalfree photothermal agent that shows a high efficiency for converting NIR to heat, have attracted increased attention in biomedical applications because they are easily biodegradable and biocompatible [50][51][52] . BP NSs are not stable and are gradually degraded into nontoxic small molecular weight substances such as phosphates and phosphonates 53 .…”