Engineering of CoSe 2 Nanosheets via Vacancy Manipulation for Efficient Cancer Therapy.

CoSe 2 nanosheets with different vacancy associates ( i . e ., V SeSe , V CoCoSe , V CoSeSe , and V CoCoCoSe ) were synthesized by selecting different templates and calcination temperatures. The nanosheets having higher theoretical adsorption toward cellular membrane phospholipids exerted more damage to both artificial liposomes and cell membranes (V SeSe > V CoCoSe > V CoCoCoSe > V CoSeSe ) and exhibited higher efficiency to kill tumor cells ( e . g ., A549 lung cancer cells and HeLa cervical cancer cells). Moreover, V CoCoCoSe CoSe 2 nanosheets can be easily coated with the tumor-targeting protein transferrin (Tf), and these Tf-coated nanosheets (Tf-V CoCoCoSe ) drastically decreased the viability of various types of cancer cells (81%) without significantly damaging normal cells. Importantly, this treatment was more efficient in eliminating tumor tissues than the common chemotherapeutic drug oxaliplatin. Thus, this study offers proof of concept that manipulating the surface vacancies of CoSe 2 nanosheets could provide an efficient route for cancer therapy in a manner that could circumvent or minimize drug resistance development.