Copper-Based Metal Organic Frameworks for Controlled Curcumin Delivery and Antimicrobial Activity

Curcumin-loaded HKUST-1, a copper-based metal organic framework, was synthesized and evaluated as a multifunctional platform for biomedical applications. HKUST-1 was prepared via a solvothermal method and used as a carrier for curcumin. Curcumin was loaded into HKUST-1 using mass ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:3, in which the amount of HKUST-1 was kept constant while the curcumin content was progressively increased to investigate its effect on the material properties. Structural analyses using FTIR and X-ray diffraction confirmed the successful curcumin incorporation while preserving the crystalline framework of HKUST-1. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that curcumin loading showed the thermal degradation pathway for all samples. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis showed that pristine HKUST-1 possessed a high surface area of 1633.12 m²/g and a pore volume of 0.76 cm³/g, which gradually decreased to 1424.74, 1258.47, and 1110.54 m²/g, respectively, after curcumin loading, confirming effective pore occupation. Among the tested formulations, the 1:1 curcumin to HKUST-1 ratio exhibited the highest drug loading capacity and loading efficiency, indicating that this ratio was the most effective for curcumin encapsulation. Biological evaluation demonstrated concentration dependent antioxidant activity, with the 1:1 formulation showing the highest radical scavenging activity of 62.22% at 200 μg/mL. MTT assay results further revealed that curcumin-loaded samples significantly improved cell viability compared to pristine HKUST-1. The curcumin loaded HKUST-1 samples also exhibited excellent antibacterial performance against E. coli and S. aureus, with inhibition rates above 99%, while showing significantly improved cell viability in human dermal fibroblasts compared with pristine HKUST-1. Overall, curcumin-loaded HKUST-1 represents a stable, biocompatible, and pH-responsive MOFs based system with strong potential for controlled drug delivery and antimicrobial applications.