Vacancies on 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Elicit Ferroptotic Cell Death

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2020 Jul 15

PMID 32661253

Citations 34

Authors

Shujuan Xu

Huizhen Zheng

Ronglin Ma

Di Wu

Yanxia Pan

Chunyang Yin

Meng Gao

Weili Wang

Wei Li

Sijin Liu

Zhifang Chai

Ruibin Li

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Sustainable developments of nanotechnology necessitate the exploration of structure-activity relationships (SARs) at nano-bio interfaces. While ferroptosis may contribute in the developments of some severe diseases (e.g., Parkinson's disease, stroke and tumors), the cellular pathways and nano-SARs are rarely explored in diseases elicited by nano-sized ferroptosis inducers. Here we find that WS and MoS nanosheets induce an iron-dependent cell death, ferroptosis in epithelial (BEAS-2B) and macrophage (THP-1) cells, evidenced by the suppression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), oxygen radical generation and lipid peroxidation. Notably, nano-SAR analysis of 20 transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) disclosures the decisive role of surface vacancy in ferroptosis. We therefore develop methanol and sulfide passivation as safe design approaches for TMD nanosheets. These findings are validated in animal lungs by oropharyngeal aspiration of TMD nanosheets. Overall, our study highlights the key cellular events as well as nano-SARs in TMD-induced ferroptosis, which may facilitate the safe design of nanoproducts.

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