Stimuli-responsive polymers are attractive nanocarriers for cancer drug delivery due to their biodegradability and precise control of the release of an anti-cancer drug in response to specific triggers. Herein, the tungsten disulfide nanosheet was modified by pH and thermo-responsive polymer as the novel nanocarrier. The physicochemical characteristics of nanoadsorbent were studied by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, and thermal gravitational analysis. The maximum adsorption capacity in optimal conditions for flutamide with nanoadsorbent (C0 = 20 mg L−1, pH = 5, contact time = 15 min, stirring speed = 500 rpm, and temperature = 25 °C) was obtained 2.43 mg g−1. The Langmuir equilibrium isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model fit the adsorption mechanism very well. Around 75.26 % of the drug was released from nanocarrier in simulated human fluid at 6 h and 91.48 % in simulated cancer fluid at 45 °C. The near laser irradiation-triggered effective and controllable release of the loaded drug under near laser irradiation is successfully confirmed. Drug releasing 94.77 % under near laser irradiation within 30 min, which was roughly four folds of that without near laser irradiation. Cytotoxicity/cell viability assays using MTT were carried out for samples in PC-3 prostate cancer cells. Based on the cell viability assay on the PC-3 prostate cancer cell line, the drug loaded pH/thermo-responsive nanocarrier indicated better cytotoxic activity than the free drug. According to these results, it is very promising that pH/thermo-responsive nanocarrier can be used as an effective drug delivery system.
