Hyaluronic acid-coated metal-organic frameworks benefit the ROS-mediated apoptosis and amplified anticancer activity of artesunate

Biomineralized apoferritin nanoparticles delivering dihydroartemisinin and calcium for synergistic breast cancer therapy

Breast cancer is one of the most common gynecological malignancies and poses a severe health risk to women. In recent years, ferroptosis therapy has been considered a promising therapeutic strategy for breast cancer by promoting intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lipid peroxidation (LPO) accumulation. However, insufficient intracellular ROS levels and suboptimal drug accumulation within breast cancer lesions hinder the efficacy of ferroptosis as a single oncological treatment modality. In this study, we developed a self-targeting biomineralized apoferritin-based nanovector, encapsulating the ferroptosis inducer dihydroartemisinin (DHA), to create a synergistic antitumor nano-platform (Ca/DHA@AFn) capable of achieving dual-mode calcicoptosis and ferroptosis therapy. The Ca/DHA@AFn nanoparticles exhibited uniform distribution, with an average particle size of approximately 20 nm and a drug loading efficiency of 2.32%. MTT assay results demonstrated that Ca/DHA@AFn significantly decreased the viability of 4T1 cells compared to the controls (DHA, Ca@AFn, and DHA@AFn), indicating enhanced therapeutic efficacy. In vivo experiments in mice revealed that Ca/DHA@AFn nanoparticles, through combined calcicoptosis/ferroptosis induction, exhibited superior synergistic antitumor effects compared to single-modality treatments, significantly extending survival and demonstrating high biocompatibility. This study introduces a novel and safe biomineralized apoferritin-based nano-platform leveraging calcicoptosis/ferroptosis dual therapy, showing strong antitumor efficacy against breast cancer cells and presenting a promising strategy for breast cancer treatment.

Hyaluronic acid functionalized citric acid dendrimer/UiO-66-COOH as a stable and biocompatible platform for daunorubicin delivery

This work aimed to prepare a new system for daunorubicin (DNR) delivery to improve therapeutic efficiency and decrease unwanted side effects. Typically, at first, a carboxylic acid functional group containing metal-organic framework (UiO-66-COOH) was synthesized in a simple way. Then, a third generation of citric acid dendrimer (CAD G3) was grown on it (UiO-66-COOH-CAD G3). Finally, the system was functionalized with pre-modified hyaluronic acid (UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA). SEM analysis displayed that the synthesized particles have a spherical shape with an average particle size ranging from 260 to 280 nm. An increase in hydrodynamic diameter from 223 nm for UiO-66-COOH to 481 nm for UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA is a sign of success in the performed reactions. Also, the average pore size was calculated at about 4.04 nm. The DNR loading efficiency of UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA was evaluated at ∼74 % (DNR@UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA). It was observed that the drug release rate at a lower pH is more than higher pH. The maximum hemolysis of <3 % means that the UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA is hemocompatible. The use of DNR-loaded UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA led to cell-killing of 77.9 % for MDA-MB 231. These results specified the great potential of UiO-66-COOH-CAD-HA for tumor drug delivery, so it could be proposed as a new carrier for anticancer agents to minimize adverse effects and improve therapeutic efficacy.

Functionalization strategies of metal-organic frameworks for biomedical applications and treatment of emerging pollutants: A review

One of the representative coordination polymers, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) material, is of hotspot interest in the multi field thanks to their unique structural characteristics and properties. As a novel hierarchical structural class, MOFs show diverse topologies, intrinsic behaviors, flexibility, etc. However, bare MOFs have less desirable biofunction, high humid sensitivity and instability in water, restraining their efficiencies in biomedical and environmental applications. Thus, a structural modification is required to address such drawbacks. Herein, we pinpoint new strategies in the synthesis and functionalization of MOFs to meet demanding requirements in in vitro tests, i.e., antibacterial face masks against corona virus infection and in wound healing and nanocarriers for drug delivery in anticancer. Regarding the treatment of wastewater containing emerging pollutants such as POPs, PFAS, and PPCPs, functionalized MOFs showed excellent performance with high efficiency and selectivity. Challenges in toxicity, vast database of clinical trials for biomedical tests and production cost can be still presented. MOFs-based composites can be, however, a bright candidate for reasonable replacement of traditional nanomaterials in biomedical and wastewater treatment applications.

Current status of Fe-based MOFs in biomedical applications

Recently nanoparticle-based platforms have gained interest as drug delivery systems and diagnostic agents, especially in cancer therapy. With their ability to provide preferential accumulation at target sites, nanocarrier-constructed antitumor drugs can improve therapeutic efficiency and bioavailability. In contrast, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have received increasing academic interest as an outstanding class of coordination polymers that combine porous structures with high drug loading via temperature modulation and ligand interactions, overcoming the drawbacks of conventional drug carriers. FeIII-based MOFs are one of many with high biocompatibility and good drug loading capacity, as well as unique Fenton reactivity and superparamagnetism, making them highly promising in chemodynamic and photothermal therapy, and magnetic resonance imaging. Given this, this article summarizes the applications of FeIII-based MOFs in three significant fields: chemodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy and MRI, suggesting a logical route to new strategies. This article concludes by summarising the primary challenges and development prospects in these promising research areas.

Fe-Based Metal Organic Frameworks (Fe-MOFs) for Bio-Related Applications

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials composed of metal ions and organic ligands. Due to their large surface area, easy modification, and good biocompatibility, MOFs are often used in bio-related fields. Fe-based metal-organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs), as important types of MOF, are favored by biomedical researchers for their advantages, such as low toxicity, good stability, high drug-loading capacity, and flexible structure. Fe-MOFs are diverse and widely used. Many new Fe-MOFs have appeared in recent years, with new modification methods and innovative design ideas, leading to the transformation of Fe-MOFs from single-mode therapy to multi-mode therapy. In this paper, the therapeutic principles, classification, characteristics, preparation methods, surface modification, and applications of Fe-MOFs in recent years are reviewed to understand the development trends and existing problems in Fe-MOFs, with the view to provide new ideas and directions for future research.

A pH-responsive metal-organic framework for the co-delivery of HIF-2α siRNA and curcumin for enhanced therapy of osteoarthritis

The occurrence of osteoarthritis (OA) is highly correlated with the reduction of joint lubrication performance, in which persistent excessive inflammation and irreversible destruction of cartilage dominate the mechanism. The inadequate response to monotherapy methods, suboptimal efficacy caused by undesirable bioavailability, short retention, and lack of stimulus-responsiveness, are few unresolved issues. Herein, we report a pH-responsive metal-organic framework (MOF), namely, MIL-101-NH₂, for the co-delivery of anti-inflammatory drug curcumin (CCM) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) for hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-2α). CCM and siRNA were loaded via encapsulation and surface coordination ability of MIL-101-NH₂. Our vitro tests showed that MIL-101-NH₂ protected siRNA from nuclease degradation by lysosomal escape. The pH-responsive MIL-101-NH₂ gradually collapsed in an acidic OA microenvironment to release the CCM payloads to down-regulate the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and to release the siRNA payloads to cleave the target HIF-2α mRNA for gene-silencing therapy, ultimately exhibiting the synergetic therapeutic efficacy by silencing HIF-2α genes accompanied by inhibiting the inflammation response and cartilage degeneration of OA. The hybrid material reported herein exhibited promising potential performance for OA therapy as supported by both in vitro and in vivo studies and may offer an efficacious therapeutic strategy for OA utilizing MOFs as host materials.

The uptake of metal-organic frameworks: a journey into the cell

The application of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) in drug delivery has advanced rapidly over the past decade, showing huge progress in the development of novel systems. Although a large number of versatile MOFs that can carry and release multiple compounds have been designed and tested, one of the main limitations to their translation to the clinic is the limited biological understanding of their interaction with cells and the way they penetrate them. This is a crucial aspect of drug delivery, as MOFs need to be able not only to enter into cells but also to release their cargo in the correct intracellular location. While small molecules can enter cells by passive diffusion, nanoparticles (NPs) usually require an energy-dependent process known as endocytosis. Importantly, the fate of NPs after being taken up by cells is dependent on the endocytic pathways they enter through. However, no general guidelines for MOF particle internalization have been established due to the inherent complexity of endocytosis as a mechanism, with several factors affecting cellular uptake, namely NP size and surface chemistry. In this review, we cover recent advances regarding the understanding of the mechanisms of uptake of nano-sized MOFs (nanoMOFs)s, their journey inside the cell, and the importance of biological context in their final fate. We examine critically the impact of MOF physicochemical properties on intracellular trafficking and successful cargo delivery. Finally, we highlight key unanswered questions on the topic and discuss the future of the field and the next steps for nanoMOFs as drug delivery systems.

Selective delivery of curcumin to breast cancer cells by self-targeting apoferritin nanocages with pH-responsive and low toxicity

Breast cancer is prevalent and diverse with significantly high incidence and mortality rates. Curcumin (Cur), a polyphenol component of turmeric, has been widely recognized as having strong anti-breast cancer activity. However, its anti-cancer efficiency is largely impaired by some of its concomitant negative properties, including its poor solubility, low cellular uptake, and severe reported side effects. Hence, the necessity arises to develop a novel low-toxic and high-efficiency targeting drug delivery system (DDS). In this study, we developed a pH-sensitive tumor self-targeting DDS (Cur@HFn) based on self-assembled HFn loaded with Cur, in which Cur was encapsulated into HFn cavity by using a disassembly/reassembly strategy, and the Cur@HFn was characterized by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). A variety of breast cancer cell models were built to evaluate cytotoxicity, apoptosis, targeting properties, and uptake mechanism of the Cur@HFn. The pharmacodynamics was also evaluated in tumor (4T1) bearing mice after intravenous injection. In vitro release experiments showed that Cur@HFn is pH sensitive and shows sustained drug release under slightly acidic conditions. Compared with Cur, Cur@HFn has stronger cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and targeting performance. Our study supported that Cur@HFn has a higher in vivo therapeutic effect and lower systemic toxicity. The safety evaluation results indicated that Cur@HFn has no hematotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity. The findings of the present study showed that the Cur@HFn has been successfully prepared and has potential application value in the treatment of breast cancer.

Porous Cu-MOF nanostructures with anticancer properties prepared by a controllable ultrasound-assisted reverse micelle synthesis of Cu-MOF

The ultrasonic assisted reverse micelle method (UARM) was used to synthesize Cu-MOF from Cu(NO3)2·3H2O and 2,6-pyridine dicarboxylic acid in a 1:1 molar proportion. It has been characterized using FT-IR, XRD, nitrogen adsorption analysis, SEM and TEM-EDX. The morphology of Cu-MOFs was spherical, with an average particle size distribution of less than 100 nm. Using BET analysis, the surface area of Cu-MOF was found to be 284.94 m2/g. The porous morphology of Cu-MOF was also suggested by SEM and TEM analyses. It has anticancer properties against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Cytotoxicity testing was performed on MCF-7 breast cancer cells using the MTT cell viability assay, and cell proliferation and viability were found to be approximately 24% higher than the control.