Highly Catalytic Niobium Carbide (MXene) Promotes Hematopoietic Recovery after Radiation by Free Radical Scavenging

Abstract

Ionizing radiation (IR) has been extensively used in industry and radiotherapy, but IR exposure from nuclear or radiological accidents often causes serious health effects in an exposed individual, and its application in radiotherapy inevitably brings undesirable damage to normal tissues. In this work, we have developed ultrathin twodimensional (2D) niobium carbide (Nb 2 C) MXene as a radioprotectant and explored its application in scavenging free radicals against IR. The 2D Nb 2 C MXene features intriguing antioxidant properties in effectively eliminating hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), hydroxyl radicals ( • OH), and superoxide radicals (O 2•− ). Pretreatment with biocompatible polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-functionalized Nb 2 C nanosheets (Nb 2 C-PVP NSs) significantly reduces IR-induced production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in enhanced cell viability in vitro. A single intravenous injection of Nb 2 C-PVP significantly enhances the survival rate of 5 and 6.5 Gy irradiated mice to 100% and 81.25%, respectively, and significantly increases bone marrow mononuclear cells after IR. Critically, Nb 2 C-PVP reverses the damage of the hematopoietic system in irradiated mice. Single administration of Nb 2 C-PVP significantly increases superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, decreases malondialdehyde levels, and thereby reduces IR-induced pathological damage in the testis, small intestine, lung, and liver of 5 Gy irradiated mice. Importantly, Nb 2 C-PVP is almost completely eliminated from the mouse body on day 14 post treatment, and no obvious toxicities are observed during the 30-day post treatment period. Our study pioneers the application of 2D MXenes with intrinsic radioprotective nature in vivo.

Efficient Energy Conversion and Storage Based on Robust Fluoride‐Free Self‐Assembled 1D Niobium Carbide in 3D Nanowire Network

“…Compared to other reported double layered MXenes, Nb 2 C possesses an excellent conductivity with almost zero or small bandgap that also furnishes its prominence which is distinct from traditional 2D materials. [ 10,19,20 ] In the merit of good biocompatibility, near‐infrared (NIR) adsorption, and high photothermal conversion performance, [ 21 ] Nb 2 C is chosen as a promising candidate for both in vitro and in vivo photothermal/bio‐detection applications. [ 6,7 ] On the other hand, Nb 2 C, which exhibits a good ion intake ability, is vastly used as a cathode for metal ion battery.…”

Two-dimensional metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes): preparation, property, and applications in cancer therapy

“…(B) Photographs of tumors harvested from mice 14 days after the treatments [99]. (C) Detailed mechanism diagram of 2D-Nb 2 C-MXene as a radiation protective agent [107]. (D) In vivo evaluation of radiation protection by Nb 2 C-PVP on IR-induced multiple organ degeneration [107].…”

“…the ultrathin 2D-Nb 2 C-MXene as radiation protection agent ( Figure 8C) and discussed its application in eliminating free radicals and anti-IR [107]. Nb 2 C-PVP was prepared by surface modification to improve its biocompatibility and physiological stability and reduce its toxicity in vivo ( Figure 8D).…”

Synthesis and recent applications of MXenes with Mo, V or Nb transition metals: a review

“…Among Nb-based and Nb-containing MXenes, Nb 2 CT x and Nb 4 C 3 T x has drawn the most attention in the applications as shown in Table 6 [32,62,86,[92][93][94][95]. Nb 2 CT x is a promising catalyst.…”

“…Therefore, initiators would be rapidly released and decomposed to generate oxygen-independent free radicals. Similarly, Ren et al [92] developed the core/shell structure [Nb 2 CT x -polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)] based on Nb 2 CT x . This hybrid material was certified as hematopoietic recovery medicine after radiation (Fig.…”