Effect of MoS2-PEG nanozymes on tumor cell multiplication

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), as a nanozyme, can effectively kill tumor cells by catalyzing H2O2 to produce extremely poisonous hydroxyl radical (*OH). In this work, spherical MoS2-PEG nanozymes were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis under the modification of polyethylene glycol (PEG). Firstly, XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, and BET were used to analyze the phase, morphology, oxidation state, and distribution of each element of nanozyme. Secondly, the determination and verification of *OH as the main reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the MoS2-PEG nanozyme catalyzed Fenton reaction based on 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyldiphenylamine (TMB) color reaction and electron spin resonance (ESR). Interestingly, MoS2-PEG nanozymes exhibited cytostatic rates of 43.9 % and 47.2 % in vitro in mouse breast cancer cell (4 T1) and mouse glioma cell (GL261) tumor cell models. In mouse fibroblast (L929) models, MoS2-PEG nanozymes showed excellent cytocompatibility and safety. Therefore, MoS2-PEG nanozyme may serve as an impactful drug to inhibit cancer cell growth.