Adenosine/β-Cyclodextrin-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks as a Potential Material for Cancer Therapy

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Pharmaceutical Science

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging porous materials for drug delivery.
• Cyclodextrins (CDs) are widely used in pharmaceutical formulations.
• Loading active pharmaceutical ingredients into MOFs enhances their properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To load adenosine (ADN) into a beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) based MOF.
• To investigate the interaction and structural properties of the resulting ADN:β-CD-K MOFs.
• To assess the in vitro cytotoxicity of the synthesized MOFs.

Main Methods:

• Solvent diffusion method for MOF synthesis.
• Semi-empirical quantum mechanical computations for interaction analysis.
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy for structural characterization.
• In vitro cytotoxicity assay using MDA-MB-231 cells.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of ADN:β-CD-K MOFs via solvent diffusion.
• Quantum mechanical computations revealed hydrogen bonding interactions between ADN and β-CD.
• SEM images showed well-defined crystalline structures in ADN-loaded MOFs, unlike unloaded MOFs.
• FT-IR analysis confirmed the role of β-CD as a nucleation seed in MOF formation.
• Preliminary in vitro studies indicated no significant cytotoxicity of the MOFs against breast cancer cells.

Conclusions:

• The study demonstrates the successful incorporation of adenosine into β-CD-based MOFs.
• The synthesized MOFs exhibit distinct structural characteristics influenced by adenosine loading.
• β-CD acts as a crucial component in the formation of these MOFs.
• The developed MOFs show potential for pharmaceutical applications with preliminary safety indicated.