Long-term exposure of molybdenum disulfide nanosheets leads to hepatic lipid accumulation and atherogenesis in apolipoprotein E deficient mice

Before their large-scale applications, it is necessary to understand the biological effects of nanomaterials. Although two-dimensional nanomaterials (2D NMs) molybdenum disulfide nanosheets (MoS2 NSs) are promising in biomedical fields, the current knowledge regarding their toxicities is inadequate. Using apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE-/-) mice as a long-term exposure model, this study demonstrated that intravenous (i.v.) injection of MoS2 NSs most accumulated in the liver and caused in situ hepatic damage. Histopathological examination indicated severe infiltration of inflammatory cells and irregular central veins in the MoS2 NSs-treated mouse liver. Meanwhile, the overwhelming expressions of inflammatory cytokines, dyslipidemia, and dysregulated hepatic lipid metabolism implied the potential vascular toxicity of MoS2 NSs. Indeed, our result supported that MoS2 NSs exposure is highly associated with atherosclerotic progression. This study provided the first line of evidence on the vascular toxicity of MoS2 NSs, which remind scientists to pay attention to the rational use of MoS2 NSs, especially in the biomedical fields.