Metal Organic Frameworks as Drug Targeting Delivery Vehicles in the Treatment of Cancer

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Oncology

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are increasingly utilized as drug delivery vehicles for cancer therapy.
• MOFs possess high drug loading capacity and excellent biocompatibility, presenting significant potential for cancer treatment.
• Conventional chemotherapy often leads to adverse side effects due to drug accumulation in normal tissues, highlighting the need for targeted delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review intelligent targeted drug delivery systems based on MOFs.
• To discuss the characteristics of MOFs as drug-loading systems.
• To address the challenges associated with the clinical application of MOFs in cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of various MOF types, including Isoreticular Metal Organic Frameworks (IRMOFs), Materials of Institute Lavoisier (MILs), Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIFs), and University of Oslo (UiOs).
• Discussion of MOFs-based core-shell structures for drug delivery.
• Analysis of passive targeting via nanometer-sized MOFs and active/physicochemical targeting through ligand modification.

Main Results:

• MOFs can be engineered at the nanoscale for effective passive tumor targeting.
• Ligand modification allows for active or physicochemical targeting strategies, enhancing drug accumulation at tumor sites.
• Targeted delivery improves therapeutic efficacy by increasing drug concentration in tumors and enhances safety by reducing off-target release.

Conclusions:

• MOFs serve as promising smart delivery vehicles for targeted cancer therapy.
• Targeting strategies using MOFs can significantly improve both treatment efficacy and patient safety.
• Despite existing challenges, MOFs hold considerable potential for future clinical applications in oncology.