Electrospun Silk Fibroin/Polylactic-co-glycolic Acid/Black Phosphorus Nanosheets Nanofibrous Membrane with Photothermal Therapy Potential for Cancer

Abstract

Photothermal therapy is a promising treating method for cancers since it is safe and easily controllable. Black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets have drawn tremendous attention as a novel biodegradable thermotherapy material, owing to their excellent biocompatibility and photothermal properties. In this study, silk fibroin (SF) was used to exfoliate BP with long-term stability and good solution-processability. Then, the prepared BP@SF was introduced into fibrous membranes by electrospinning, together with SF and polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA). The SF/PLGA/BP@SF membranes had relatively smooth and even fibers and the maximum stress was 2.92 MPa. Most importantly, the SF/PLGA/BP@SF membranes exhibited excellent photothermal properties, which could be controlled by the BP@SF content and near infrared (NIR) light power. The temperature of SF/PLGA/BP@SF composite membrane was increased by 15.26 °C under NIR (808 nm, 2.5 W/cm2) irradiation for 10 min. The photothermal property of SF/PLGA/BP@SF membranes significantly killed the HepG2 cancer cells in vitro, indicating its good potential for application in local treatment of cancer.

Advanced applications of smart electrospun nanofibers in cancer therapy: With insight into material capabilities and electrospinning parameters

“…Black phosphorus nanosheets with photothermal characteristics were effectively incorporated into electrospun nanofibers by Li et al The resultant nanofibers had remarkable photothermal characteristics, with a temperature increase of 15.26 °C observed under near-infrared (808 nm, 2.5 W/cm 2 ) irradiation. This significant rise in temperature effectively led to the destruction of HepG2 cancer cells in vitro ( Li et al, 2022d ).…”

Research and therapeutic applications of silk proteins in cancer

“…These photothermal materials are required to have good biodegradability, photostability, broad NIR spectrum, and high photothermal conversion rates. 65 In a study by Li et al 65 to use SF in photothermal therapy, SF was used to modify black phosphorous (BP) to increase its stability and solubility. This SF@BP was then electrospun into fibrous membranes after mixing with polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) and SF.…”

“…(Reprinted (adapted) with permission from. 65 Copyright © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI Basel, Switzerland.…”