Novel Metal-Organic Framework-Based Photocrosslinked Hydrogel System for Efficient Antibacterial Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) show promise for drug delivery and biomedical applications.
• Hydrogels offer versatile platforms for incorporating functional materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize MOF-embedded hydrogels for potential therapeutic applications.
• To evaluate the antibacterial efficacy and cytotoxicity of these novel materials.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of three MOFs (Cu-MOF 1, Co-MOF 2, Zn-MOF 3) using glutarate and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene ligands.
• Preparation of MOF-embedded hydrogels via UV light-mediated thiol-ene photopolymerization.
• Assessment of antibacterial activity against *Escherichia coli* and *Staphylococcus aureus*, and cytotoxicity in human dermal fibroblasts.

Main Results:

• MOF-embedded hydrogels (hydrogel@Cu-MOF 1, hydrogel@Co-MOF 2, hydrogel@Zn-MOF 3) were successfully prepared and exhibited high stability.
• Hydrogel@Cu-MOF 1 and hydrogel@Co-MOF 2 demonstrated excellent antibacterial activity.
• Hydrogel@Cu-MOF 1 showed no cytotoxic effects on human dermal fibroblasts while achieving 99.9% bacterial reduction.

Conclusions:

• MOF-embedded hydrogels possess significant antibacterial properties with low cytotoxicity.
• Physical properties of MOFs, such as surface area and dimension, are crucial for antibacterial effects.
• These materials hold potential for antibacterial applications in cosmetics, skin disease treatment, and drug delivery.