Progressive Trends on the Biomedical Applications of Metal Organic Frameworks

Abstract

Novel materials have been developed because of technological advancements combined with material research. Metal-organic frameworks (MOF) technology has been investigated for biomedical applications in this line. Nonetheless, as our team has learned from current literature, selecting metal ions/organic linkers, synthesis techniques, water stability/solubility, toxicity, and the possibility of biomolecules/drugs (enzyme, protein, DNA/RNA, and antibodies, among others) tagging/conjugation are the major challenges/factors. These issues/factors have an impact on MOFs’ performance in biomedical applications, and they also raise a lot of doubts about its real-time biological utility in the near future. We targeted a comprehensive review on the MOFs for biomedical applications to keep these considerations in mind. The evolution of MOF technology is based on their interesting features such as biological or pharmacological activity, biocompatibility, limited toxicity, and particular host–guest interactions, as well as environmental friendliness. In this paper, we have summarized the state-of-the-art progress pertaining to MOFs’ biomedical applications such as biosensing, biomedical, and drug delivery applications in this field that is still very new.

DNA-functionalized metal or metal-containing nanoparticles for biological applications

“…They are of significant interest in biological and medical fields, especially for drug and gene delivery. [74][75][76][77] Numerous types of MOFs have been fabricated in the past few years. Notably, the attachment of DNA to the surface of MOFs provides a unique possibility for conferringspecific functionality to these frameworks.…”

Utilization of Functionalized Metal–Organic Framework Nanoparticle as Targeted Drug Delivery System for Cancer Therapy

“…For instance, MOFs must be able to survive the stomach’s acidity and the intestine’s alkalinity when given orally. MOFs must be resistant to metal ions and tear fluid for ocular administration [ 169 ]. The stability of MOFs for drug delivery has been improved through the development of several methods: the addition of protective layers such as polymers; the selection of more stable metal nodes or organic ligands; and the addition of functional groups or linkers to MOF structures or compositions [ 170 ].…”

Reactivity of metal–oxo clusters towards biomolecules: from discrete polyoxometalates to metal–organic frameworks

“…Yet, achieving such a mechanistic understanding is crucial due to the important role of the catalytic properties of MOCs in their biological activity as potential inorganic drugs, and in other biomedical applications, as described in multiple reviews. 46,[53][54][55][56][57] The reactivity of POMs and MOFs have been recently reviewed by our group, mainly focusing on proteins as substrates. 24,58,59 However, a broader discussion of the role of MOCs and MOC-based materials as catalysts in biochemical transformations involving a wide range of biomolecules -such as nucleic acids, nucleotides, sugars, and lipids -is sorely lacking.…”