Insight into charged drug release from metal-organic frameworks

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising for biological applications, yet their use in drug delivery is limited by a lack of understanding regarding release kinetics.
• Factors like MOF composition and solution conditions significantly influence the loading and release of charged molecules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how functional groups on MOFs and surrounding electrostatic interactions affect the release of charged drug models.
• To develop an improved model for describing biphasic drug release profiles from MOFs.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of various MOFs (MIL-100, UiO-66, UiO-66-NH2, UiO-66-NO2, UiO-66-OH).
• Evaluation of charged dye and drug model loading and release influenced by buffer molecules, ions, and polyelectrolytes.
• Application and novel adaptation of the Korsmeyer-Peppas (K-P) model to analyze release mechanisms, including biphasic profiles.

Main Results:

• The study identified key interactions influencing the release of charged molecules from different MOF structures.
• The conventional K-P model was insufficient for describing observed biphasic release patterns.
• A novel adapted K-P model successfully described biphasic release, revealing previously unobserved phenomena.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the influence of MOF functional groups and solution conditions is crucial for optimizing drug delivery.
• The adapted K-P model provides a more accurate description of complex drug release kinetics from MOFs.
• These findings can be leveraged to enhance the controlled release of charged drugs using MOF platforms.