Size‐Control and Surface Modification of Flexible Metal‐Organic Framework MIL‐53(Fe) by Polyethyleneglycol for 5‐ Fluorouracil Anticancer Drug Delivery

Abstract

The flexible metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) materials, also called soft porous crystals which combine the crystalline order of the underlying coordination network with cooperative structural transformability, have been extensively studied as promising materials for various applications such as sensing, drug delivery, catalysis, host-guest complex etc. Among them MOFs is effectively used as a carrier for drug delivery. Herein, a flexible metal-organic framework MIL-53(Fe) functionalized with polyethyleneglycol (PEG) was successfully fabricated by ultrasonication. The prepared material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmittance electron microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The effect of the PEG content on the morphology and particles size of the MIL-53 was investigated in detail. The resultant flexible MIL-53(Fe)-PEG materials were seen to be homogeneous with the morphology of hexagonal bipyramidal structure, approximately 700 nm in length and 400 nm in diameter. Furthermore, we investigated loading of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) drug and its release in vitro conditions by employing MIL-53(Fe)-PEG. The results showed that in vitro condition, only 31% of the drug released after 3 h, and released completely after approximately 6 days. Thus, we believe that use of MIL-53(Fe)-PEG may overcome current issue of sustain release.[a] Prof.

Chitosan modified metal–organic frameworks as a promising carrier for oral drug delivery

“…1 Nowadays, MOFs have attracted increasing attention from researchers due to their facile functionalization, tunable pore sizes and high surface area. 2 These advantageous properties made MOFs promising candidates in many applications, such as gas separation and storage, 3,4 fuel cells, 5 solar cells, 6 catalysis, 7 sensors, 8 electronic devices, 9 drug delivery, 10 and others. In 2008, Férey and co-workers rst stated that MOFs had a great potential for drug delivery.…”

“…11 As MOFs combined the properties of biodegradability and compatibility, tailorable composition and structure, suitable pore sizes, high drug loading capacity and surface functionalization, they possess great potential as controlled drug delivery systems. 2,12 Currently, MOF studies are mainly focused on intravenous administration, [13][14][15][16] while studies dedicated to oral administration are relatively scarce. 17 For cancer patients, oral chemotherapy is an ideal long-term alternative treatment, since it can maintain appropriate drug concentration in the circulation to prolong the therapeutic effect, 18 reduce side effects and prevent injection discomfort.…”

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

“…Particle size is a critical attribute of MOFs in biomedical applications, especially in the administration route and incorporating MOFs with other compounds [46]. Also, particle size has a significant effect on toxicity, biodistribution, and lifetime of particles in the body [18].…”

“…Suitable additives can control the particle size of MOFs in the reaction. Also, by modulating the nucleation and growth process, synthesis methods and experimental parameters effectively influence the size of crystals [45,46]. The size of MOF particles can be controlled by optimizing the synthesis parameters, such as tuning the initial concentration of precursors and adding the co-modulators or capping ligands to the synthesis medium [27,40,45,46].…”

“…Moreover, the ultrasonication method is a practical approach to control the crystallization process. Ultrasound irradiation is a feasible technique that can increase mass transfer and accelerate molecular diffusion to reduce particle size [46]. Also, controlling the synthesis conditions like temperature is vital in regulating particle size and size distribution.…”