Recent development of amorphous metal coordination polymers for cancer therapy

Nanoscale metal coordination polymers (NCPs), built from metal ions and organic ligands, have attracted tremendous interest in biomedical applications. This is mainly due to their mesoporous structure, tunable size and morphology and versatile functionality. NCPs can be further divided into nanoscale metal-organic frameworks (NMOFs) and amorphous coordination polymer particles (ACPPs) depending on their structural crystallinity. NMOFs as nanocarriers have been extensively reviewed. However, the highlights of ACPPs as theranostic nanoplatforms are still limited. In this review, the recent progress of ACPPs as theranostic nanoplatforms is summarized based on what types of organic linkers used. The ACPPs are divided into three main parts: photosensitizers-based ACPPs, chemical drugs-based ACPPs, and biomolecules-based ACPPs. Finally, the prospects and challenges of the ACPPs for enhanced biomedical applications are also discussed. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Over the last decades, amorphous metal coordination polymers (ACPPs), constructed by metal ions and organic linkers, have attracted enormous interest in cancer treatment owing to their high drug loading capability, facile synthetic procedures, low long-term toxicity, and mild preparation conditions. In this review, we highlight the recent progress of ACPPs for biomedical application based on different types of organic building blocks including photosensitizers, chemical drugs, and biomolecules. Moreover, the prospects and challenges of ACPPs for clinical application are also discussed. We hope this review entitled "Recent development of amorphous metal coordination polymers for cancer therapy" would arise the researchers' interest in this field to accelerate their clinical application in cancer therapy.