Outstanding drug loading capacity by water stable microporous MOF: a potential drug carrier

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials with tunable properties.
• Developing stable and efficient MOFs for drug delivery is an active research area.
• 5-fluorouracil is a widely used chemotherapy drug with limitations in delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a novel, water-stable, microporous MOF.
• To evaluate the MOF's capacity for loading and releasing 5-fluorouracil.
• To assess the cytotoxicity of the synthesized MOF.

Main Methods:

• Solvothermal synthesis of the MOF, denoted as [Zn8(O)2(CDDB)6(DMF)4(H2O)].
• Characterization of the MOF's structure and properties, including water stability.
• Drug loading and release studies using 5-fluorouracil.
• Cytotoxicity assays to evaluate biological safety.

Main Results:

• The synthesized MOF exhibited high water stability for up to 3 weeks.
• An outstanding loading capacity of approximately 53.3 wt% for 5-fluorouracil was achieved.
• Satisfactory release capabilities of 64.9% and 81.9% were observed.
• The MOF demonstrated negligible cytotoxicity.

Conclusions:

• The novel MOF is robust, water-stable, and highly effective for 5-fluorouracil delivery.
• Its high loading capacity and controlled release make it a promising candidate for pharmaceutical applications.
• The negligible cytotoxicity suggests a favorable safety profile for potential in vivo use.