Metal-organic frameworks for advanced drug delivery

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline porous materials constructed from metal ions and organic linkers.
• Their tunable properties, including porosity, size, and surface chemistry, make them promising for biomedical applications.
• Recent decades have seen significant interest in engineering MOFs for advanced drug delivery systems (DDSs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of MOF-based drug delivery systems (DDSs).
• To discuss MOF classification, synthesis, characterization, and drug loading strategies for DDSs.
• To explore current applications, biopharmaceutics, quality control, and future challenges of MOFs in drug delivery.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on MOF synthesis and applications in drug delivery.
• Classification of MOFs based on metal and ligand composition for DDS suitability.
• Analysis of drug loading techniques, biopharmaceutical considerations, and quality control aspects.

Main Results:

• MOFs offer tunable porosity and surface functionalization ideal for drug encapsulation and controlled release.
• Diverse MOF structures have been synthesized and characterized for various therapeutic applications.
• Key challenges include ensuring biostability, biosafety, and establishing robust quality control for clinical use.

Conclusions:

• MOFs represent a highly adaptable platform for developing next-generation drug delivery systems.
• Further research is needed to address critical biopharmaceutical and safety aspects for successful clinical translation.
• Standardized nomenclature and rigorous quality control are essential for the advancement of MOF-based DDSs.