Description

In the field of controlled drug delivery systems, Metal-Organic Frameworks, or MOFs, have become a particularly flexible family of materials. MOFs are crystalline structures with large surface area and adjustable pore widths that are made up of metal ions or clusters coupled to organic ligands. Because of its special qualities, MOFs are ideally suited for uses in drug delivery, where focused delivery, high loading capacity, and controlled release are essential for effective treatment. Pharmacology can advance and patient outcomes can be significantly improved by developing and optimizing MOF-based drug delivery devices.

The high porosity and surface area of MOFs make them ideal for use in medication delivery systems. MOFs' porous structure enables the encapsulation of a broad range of medicinal substances, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and tiny compounds. Because MOFs have a high loading capacity, a sizable amount of the medication can reach the intended location, which may lower the frequency of administration and increase patient compliance. Furthermore, according to their molecular dimensions, particular medications can be included into MOFs with tunable pore diameters, guaranteeing that the therapeutic agent is efficiently encapsulated and shielded till it reaches its intended location. The regulated and prolonged release of encapsulated medications is another benefit of MOFs. By altering the MOF's pore size, surface chemistry, and rate of degradation, the drug's release profile can be precisely designed. Diffusion, framework breakdown, or a reaction to particular stimuli like pH, temperature, or light can all be used to produce this controlled release. While remaining stable in the neutral pH of the bloodstream, pH-responsive MOFs, for example, can release their medicinal payload in the acidic environment of a tumor. This tailored release increases the medication's therapeutic efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity.

The biocompatibility and functionalization potential of MOFs is a essential benefit in medication delivery. Biocompatible metals and ligands can be used to create MOFs, lowering the possibility of unfavorable physiological responses. Moreover, to improve the specificity of medication delivery to particular cells or tissues, the surface of MOFs can be functionalized with targeted ligands as aptamers, peptides, or antibodies. This focused strategy reduces off-target effects and related adverse effects while also raising the drug's therapeutic index.

MOFs' adaptability has prompted research into a range of drug delivery uses, such as gene transfer, cancer therapy, and antibiotic treatment. With the goal of improving treatment efficacy and lowering systemic toxicity, MOF-based devices have demonstrated great promise in the field of cancer therapy by directly delivering chemotherapeutic drugs to tumor locations. As an illustration, MOFs encasing the popular anticancer medication doxorubicin have shown enhanced accumulation in tumor tissues and regulated release when compared to free doxorubicin, leading to better therapeutic outcomes. Theranostic MOFs, multifunctional MOFs that combine drug delivery and diagnostic capabilities, are another recent advancement in the field. Drug administration and treatment response may be tracked in real time thanks to these systems' ability to provide therapeutic agents and imaging contrast agents at the same time. For example, MOFs that combine a chemotherapeutic medication with an MRI contrast agent are intended to monitor the drug's release and distribution inside the body, offering important information on how well the treatment is working. Another intriguing use of MOFs in medication delivery systems is gene delivery. Nucleic acids, such as DNA or RNA, can be delivered intracellularly more easily and protected from destruction by MOFs. This feature is especially critical for gene therapy, as effective genetic material distribution to target cells is essential for successful treatment outcomes. The use of MOFs in the treatment of genetic disorders and other diseases has been made possible by their improved cellular uptake and gene transfection effectiveness when functionalized with cell-penetrating peptides or targeted ligands.