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Metal-organic frameworks: a future toolbox for biomedicine?
Ricardo F Mendes1, Flávio Figueira, José P Leite
1Department of Chemistry, CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal. filipe.paz@ua.pt.
Chemical Society Reviews
|November 2, 2020
Summary
Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) show low toxicity for biological applications. These porous materials are promising for drug delivery and biomarker detection, though direct market comparisons are limited.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) are increasingly explored for biological applications.
- Toxicity is a key consideration for MOFs in vivo, particularly for drug delivery and diagnostics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent developments of MOFs in the biological field.
- To assess the cytotoxicity of commonly used MOFs.
- To highlight MOF applications in drug delivery and biomarker detection.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of MOF applications in biology.
- Analysis of cytotoxicity data for various MOF structures.
- Examination of MOF properties like porosity for biomolecule protection and sensing.
Main Results:
- Standard MOFs based on endogenous metals exhibit low toxicity.
- MIL-, UiO-, and ZIF-series MOFs are prominent for drug delivery (antitumourals, retrovirals) with high loading and slow release.
- MOFs are effective for detecting biomarkers in urine and blood using simple devices.
Conclusions:
- MOFs present a low toxicity profile for many biological uses.
- Their porosity enables advanced drug delivery and sensitive biomarker detection.
- Further research comparing MOFs to existing technologies is needed for clinical translation.
