Fig. 5

a The relative cell viability of A549 cells treated with Cur, Er, Cur + Er, and MoS₂-PEG-Biotin-Cur/Er as a function of Cur or Er concentration. Significant differences between the MoS₂-PEG-Biotin-Cur/Er group and the other groups are indicated as *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01. b The relative cell viability of A549 cells after various treatments. The cells were treated with Cur, Er, Cur + Er, MoS₂-PEG-Biotin, and MoS₂-PEG-Biotin-Cur/Er ([MoS₂-PEG-Biotin] = 100 μg/mL, [Cur] = 20 μg/mL, [Er] = 10 μg/mL) for 2 h, washed with PBS, and treated with fresh cell medium. After exposure to NIR irradiation (0 or 1 W/cm.²) for 10 min, the cells were incubated for another 48 h before the MTT assay. Significant differences between the MoS₂-PEG-Biotin-Cur/Er group and the other groups are indicated as *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01. c, d Flow cytometry analysis of apoptotic A549 cells after various treatments mentioned in section “Cell apoptosis”. Significant differences between the MoS₂-PEG-Biotin-Cur/Er + NIR group and other experimental groups are indicated as **p < 0.01