Engineered Ti3C2(O,Cl) MXenes with dual functionalization: a new Frontier in targeted head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and breast adenocarcinoma†

Abstract

Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes have attracted significant attention in the realm of anticancer therapeutics owing to their remarkable properties, including cyto-compatibility and targeted drug delivery capabilities. In this study, Ti₃C₂ was intentionally modified with both chlorine and oxygen surface groups, as each of these functional groups have individually demonstrated promising anticancer properties. Our aim was to combine them in a single compound to explore how this dual-functionalized material might perform in a therapeutic context. This study synthesizes Ti₃C₂(O,Cl) MXenes using a novel electrochemical etching technique that allows for precise tailoring of the surface terminations with O and Cl groups. The synthesised Ti₃C₂(O,Cl) has biological activity in two cancerous (FaDu and MCF-7) and two normal (H9C2 and HEK-293) cell lines. The results of cytotoxicity data showed that the observed toxic effects were higher against cancerous cells (∼91%) than normal cells (∼40%). The mechanisms of potential toxicity were also elucidated. The synthesized Ti₃C₂(O,Cl) MXene has an effect on oxidative stress, resulting in an increase of more than 91.44% in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in malignant cells. The results of this study provide major insights to date into the biological activity of Ti₃C₂(O,Cl) MXenes and develop their application in anticancer treatments.