Nanoscale Metal‐Organic Frameworks: Synthesis, Biocompatibility, Imaging Applications, and Thermal and Dynamic Therapy of Tumors

Abstract

Nanoscale metal‐organic frameworks (NMOFs) have attracted increasing attention for biomedical applications due to their large specific surface area, good biocompatibility, adjustable structures, and diverse functions. By choosing appropriate metal ions and ligands, NMOFs can be synthesized and regulated to assist the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, acting as imaging agents, drug carriers, and cancer therapeutic agents. This review summarizes the recent advances of NMOFs in synthesis, biocompatibility, imaging, and applications in cancer therapies. Among these, the term “biocompatibility” is used to outline their various biological characteristics, and it is mainly discussed from the aspects of size and surface properties of NMOFs. The imaging section mainly emphasizes the application advantages of NMOFs as imaging agents in magnetic resonance, computed tomography, and fluorescence imaging. The applications of NMOFs in four cancer therapies, including phototherapy, radiotherapy, microwave therapy, and ultrasonic therapy, are addressed, especially for thermal and dynamic therapy. Finally, the prospects and challenges of NMOFs in imaging and cancer therapies are also discussed.

Ag2S Nanoheaters with Multiparameter Sensing for Reliable Thermal Feedback during In Vivo Tumor Therapy

“…[1][2][3][4][5] This kind of NPs constitutes a unique platform for developing the minimally invasive, cost-effective and fully controlled hyperthermia therapies. [6][7][8][9] When dealing with the in vivo thermal treatment of tumors, S-MPThs make possible real time control over the intratumoral temperature that is required to drive it precisely into the therapeutic range. [10][11][12][13] This, in turn, allows the avoidance of both insufficient and overheating ranges, which could lead to either inefficient therapy or to excessive collateral damage, respectively.…”

Carbon Dots Based Nanoscale Covalent Organic Frameworks for Photodynamic Therapy

“…Recently, porous materials, especially metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are widely used in drug delivery and bioimaging due to the various structures and multiple functions. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Relatively, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) formed purely from organic monomers are less explored in biomedical fields due to the large size, low aqueous dispersivity, and poor cell permeability, although they possess unique characters of potential biodegradability in vivo and the low density. [9][10][11] Most of the reported COFs are made from aromatic molecules with several functional groups, such as amino, aldehyde, or boric acid.…”

An investigation of affecting factors on MOF characteristics for biomedical applications: A systematic review

“…MOFs have a series of requirements to be used as nanocarriers for drug delivery and imaging, such as biodegradability for low accumulation in the body, biocompatibility, and low toxicity, which rely on composition and structure, controlled release property, and high drug loading efficiency depending on size and porosity [5]. Thus, the structural and biological properties of NMOFs, including particle size, morphology, porosity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, are influential factors in biomedical applications, which should be considered [18,19,20,21,22,23].…”

“…The size of particles is considered as one of the most critical physicochemical properties of MOFs regarding their biological applications as it makes direct impacts on their biocompatibility, biodistribution, circulatory lifetime, and in vivo excretion [18]. Thus, controlling the particle size is essential in biological studies.…”