In Vivo Long-Term Biodistribution, Excretion, and Toxicology of PEGylated Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides MS2 (M = Mo, W, Ti) Nanosheets

With unique 2D structures and intriguing physicochemical properties, various types of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted much attention in many fields including nanomedicine. Hence, it is of great importance to carefully study the in vivo biodistribution, excretion, and toxicology profiles of different TMDCs, and hopefully to identify the most promising type of TMDCs with low toxicity and fast excretion for further biomedical applications. Herein, the in vivo behaviors of three representative TMDCs including molybdenum dichalcogenides (MoS2), tungsten dichalcogenides (WS2), and titanium dichalcogenides (TiS2) nanosheets are systematically investigated. Without showing significant in vitro cytotoxicity, all the three types of polyethylene glycol (PEG) functionalized TMDCs show dominate accumulation in reticuloendothelial systems (RES) such as liver and spleen after intravenous injection. In marked contrast to WS2-PEG and TiS2-PEG, which show high levels in the organs for months, MoS2-PEG can be degraded and then excreted almost completely within one month. Further degradation experiments indicate that the distinctive in vivo excretion behaviors of TDMCs can be attributed to their different chemical properties. This work suggests that MoS2, among various TMDCs, may be particularly interesting for further biomedical applications owning to its low toxicity, capability of biodegradation, and rapid excretion.