posted on 2016-02-22, 00:00authored byJennie
H. Appel, Duo O. Li, Joshua D. Podlevsky, Abhishek Debnath, Alexander
A. Green, Qing Hua Wang, Junseok Chae
Atomically
thin transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted
considerable interest because of their unique combination of properties,
including photoluminescence, high lubricity, flexibility, and catalytic
activity. These unique properties suggest future uses for TMDs in
medical applications such as orthodontics, endoscopy, and optogenetics.
However, few studies thus far have investigated the biocompatibility
of mechanically exfoliated and chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown
pristine two-dimensional TMDs. Here, we evaluate pristine molybdenum
disulfide (MoS2) and tungsten disulfide (WS2) in a series of biocompatibility tests, including live–dead
cell assays, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation assays, and
direct assessment of cellular morphology of TMD-exposed human epithelial
kidney cells (HEK293f). Genotoxicity and genetic mutagenesis were
also evaluated for these materials via the Ames Fluctuation test with
the bacterial strain S. typhimurium TA100. Scanning
electron microscopy of cultured HEK293f cells in direct contact with
MoS2 and WS2 showed no impact on cell morphology.
HEK293f cell viability, evaluated by both live–dead fluorescence
labeling to detect acute toxicity and ROS to monitor for apoptosis,
was unaffected by these materials. Exposure of bacterial cells to
these TMDs failed to generate genetic mutation. Together, these findings
demonstrate that neither mechanically exfoliated nor CVD-grown TMDs
are deleterious to cellular viability or induce genetic defects. Thus,
these TMDs appear biocompatible for future application in medical
devices.