Recent Advances in Metal-Organic-Framework-Based Nanocarriers for Controllable Drug Delivery and Release

Synergistic applications of cyclodextrin-based systems and metal-organic frameworks in transdermal drug delivery for skin cancer therapy

This review article explores the innovative field of eco-friendly cyclodextrin-based coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for transdermal drug delivery in the case of skin cancer therapy. We critically examine the significant advancements in developing these nanocarriers, with a focus on their unique properties such as biocompatibility, targeted drug release, and enhanced skin permeability. These attributes are instrumental in addressing the limitations inherent in traditional skin cancer treatments and represent a paradigm shift towards more effective and patient-friendly therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges faced in optimizing the synthesis process for large-scale production while ensuring environmental sustainability. The review also emphasizes the immense potential for clinical applications of these nanocarriers in skin cancer therapy, highlighting their role in facilitating targeted, controlled drug release which minimizes systemic side effects. Future clinical applications could see these nanocarriers being customized to individual patient profiles, potentially revolutionizing personalized medicine in oncology. With further research and clinical trials, these nanocarriers hold the promise of transforming the landscape of skin cancer treatment. With this study, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of research in this field and outline future directions for advancing the development and clinical application of these innovative nanocarriers.

Current status of controlled onco-therapies based on metal organic frameworks

Despite consecutive efforts devoted to the establishment of innovative therapeutics for cancer control, cancer remains as a primary global public health concern. Achieving controlled release of anti-cancer agents may add great value to the field of oncology that requires the involvement of nanotechnologies. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) hold great promise in this regard owing to their unique structural properties. MOFs can act as superior candidates for drug delivery given their porous structure and large loading area, and can be prepared into anti-cancer therapeutics by incorporating stimuli-sensitive components into the ligands or nodes of the framework. By combing through chemical and physical features of MOFs favorable for onco-therapeutic applications and current cancer treatment portfolios taking advantages of these characteristics, this review classified MOFs feasible for establishing controlled anti-cancer modalities into 6 categories, outlined the corresponding strategies currently available for each type of MOF, and identified understudied areas and future opportunities towards innovative MOF design for improved or expanded clinical anti-cancer applications.

Recent advances in carbon quantum dots for gene delivery: A comprehensive review

Gene therapy is a revolutionary technology in healthcare that provides novel therapeutic options and has immense potential in addressing genetic illnesses, malignancies, and viral infections. Nevertheless, other obstacles still need to be addressed regarding safety, ethical implications, and technological enhancement. Nanotechnology and gene therapy fields have shown significant promise in transforming medical treatments by improving accuracy, effectiveness, and personalization. This review assesses the possible uses of gene therapy, its obstacles, and future research areas, specifically emphasizing the creative combination of gene therapy and nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is essential for gene delivery as it allows for the development of nano-scale carriers, such as carbon quantum dots (CQDs), which may effectively transport therapeutic genes into specific cells. CQDs exhibit distinctive physicochemical characteristics such as small size, excellent stability, and minimal toxicity, which render them highly favorable for gene therapy applications. The objective of this study is to review and describe the current advancements in the utilization of CQDs for gene delivery. Additionally, it intends to assess existing research, explore novel applications, and identify future opportunities and obstacles. This study offers a thorough summary of the current state and future possibilities of using CQDs for gene delivery. Combining recent research findings highlights the potential of CQDs to revolutionize gene therapy and its delivery methods.

Romanian Wild-Growing Chelidonium majus-An Emerging Approach to a Potential Antimicrobial Engineering Carrier System Based on AuNPs: In Vitro Investigation and Evaluation

Novel nanotechnology based on herbal products aspires to be a high-performing therapeutic platform. This study reports the development of an original engineering carrier system that jointly combines the pharmacological action of Chelidonium majus and AuNPs, with unique properties that ensure that the limitations imposed by low stability, toxicity, absorption, and targeted and prolonged release can be overcome. The metabolite profile of Romanian wild-grown Chelidonium majus contains a total of seventy-four phytochemicals belonging to eight secondary metabolite categories, including alkaloids, amino acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, fatty acids, sterols, and miscellaneous others. In this study, various techniques (XRD, FTIR, SEM, DLS, and TG/DTG) were employed to investigate his new carrier system's morpho-structural and thermal properties. In vitro assays were conducted to evaluate the antioxidant potential and release profile. The results indicate 99.9% and 94.4% dissolution at different pH values for the CG-AuNPs carrier system and 93.5% and 85.26% for greater celandine at pH 4 and pH 7, respectively. Additionally, three in vitro antioxidant assays indicated an increase in antioxidant potential (flavonoid content 3.8%; FRAP assay 24.6%; and DPPH 24.4%) of the CG-AuNPs carrier system compared to the herb sample. The collective results reflect the system's promising perspective as a new efficient antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory candidate with versatile applications, ranging from target delivery systems, oral inflammation (periodontitis), and anti-age cosmetics to extending the shelf lives of products in the food industry.

Tuning the mechanical properties of sol-gel monolithic metal-organic frameworks by ligand engineering

The sol-gel monolithic MOFs has come to prominent attention for industrial application owing to the higher powder packing density, enhanced processabilities and mechanical stabilities compared to the powder counterpart. The mechanical properties are particularly important during machine shaping processing because of porous framework structure. We used ligand engineering to design and synthesize monoUiO-66-type materials modified different chemical functional groups (-NH2, -2OH, -2COOH) by sol-gel method, with the aim to assess the impact of different functional groups on the mechanical properties of these monolithic materials based on nanoindentation technology. We observe larger mass and sterically bulky functional groups (-2COOH) can significantly decrease the BET areas and pore volume of monoUiO-66 through N2 adsorption isotherms at 77 K. Hence, the two -COOH groups modified monoUiO-66 tends to exhibit the higher H of 0.589 ± 0.018 GPa and E of 15.471 ± 0.250 GPa compared with monoUiO-66 modified with -NH2 (0.334 ± 0.009 GPa/11.959 ± 0.243 GPa) and -2OH (0.331 ± 0.008 GPa/10.251 ± 0.142 GPa) groups. The creep indentation tests and the jump indentation tests further demonstrate the modification by larger functional groups -COOH on monoUiO-66 could resist irreversible plastic deformation. Furthermore, the monoUiO-66-(COOH)2 has significantly smaller the activation volume of 0.34 ∼ 0.43 nm3, highlighting the introduction of -COOH groups reduced the pore volume and restrict the number of pores involved in one collapse event. Our results demonstrate the larger mass and sterically bulky functional groups have significant influence on the mechanical properties of the monoMOFs materials.

Copper release by MOF-74(Cu): a novel pharmacological alternative to diseases with deficiency of a vital oligoelement

Copper deficiency can trigger various diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease (PD) and even compromise the development of living beings, as manifested in Menkes disease (MS). Thus, the regulated administration (controlled release) of copper represents an alternative to reduce neuronal deterioration and prevent disease progression. Therefore, we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first experimental in vitro investigation for the kinetics of copper release from MOF-74(Cu) and its distribution in vivo after oral administration in male Wistar rats. Taking advantage of the abundance and high periodicity of copper within the crystalline-nanostructured metal-organic framework material (MOF-74(Cu)), it was possible to control the release of copper due to the partial degradation of the material. Thus, we simultaneously corroborated a low accumulation of copper in the liver (the main detoxification organ) and a slight increase of copper in the brain (striatum and midbrain), demonstrating that MOF-74(Cu) is a promising pharmacological alternative (controlled copper source) to these diseases.

Magnetic nanocomposite through coating mannose-functionalized metal-organic framework with biopolymeric pectin hydrogel beads: A potential targeted anticancer oral delivery system

This study designed magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel beads for a potential targeted anticancer oral delivery system. To end this, nanohybrids of Fe3O4/MIL-88(Fe) (FM) were synthesized through in-situ method by the treatment of terephthalic acid (TPA) and (Fe(NO3)3·9H2O) in the presence of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. They were then modified with mannose sugar as an anticancer receptor to achieve a targeted drug delivery system. After loading methotrexate (MTX), they were coated with pH-sensitive pectin hydrogel beads in the presence of a calcium chloride crosslinker for possible transferring the nanohybrids to the intestine through the acidic environment of the digestive system. The results of different analysis techniques showed that the materials were properly synthesized, coated, and loaded. The designed magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel beads showed pH-sensitive swelling and drug release rate, protecting MTX from the acidic environment of the stomach. MTT test revealed a good cytotoxicity toward colon cancer HT29 cell lines. Remarkably, the functionalization of MTX-loaded FM nanohybrids with mannose (MTX-MFM) enhanced their anticancer properties up to about 20 %. The results recommended that the prepared novel magnetic nanocomposite hydrogel beads have a good potential to be used as a targeted anticancer oral delivery system.

Combining emulsion electrospinning with surface functionalization to fabricate multistructural PLA/CS@ZIF-8 nanofiber membranes toward pH-responsive dual drug delivery

Developing of the multifunctional polymeric carrier for controlled drug release is still one of most challenging task. In this work, a pH-responsive dual drug delivery system was designed and prepared based on the zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8). The poly(lactic acid)/chitosan (PLA/CS) core-shell nanofiber membranes by emulsion electrospinning, which the hydrophilic drug (Astragalus Polysacharin, APS) was encapsulated in the CS core and the hydrophobic drug (Camptothecin, CPT) was loaded into the PLA shell, respectively. Subsequently, ZIF-8 nanoparticles served as the protective layer were immobilized on the surface of PLA/CS to form multi-structural PLA/CS@ZIF-8 nanofiber membranes. In vitro drug release of nanofiber membranes were studied in the acidic and neutral medium, respectively. The results were that the hydrophilicity and surface roughness of nanofiber membranes rose with increasing of 2-MIM concentrations. The nanofiber membranes also had excellent pH-responsive and controlled release property. Furthermore, the drug release of PLA/CS@ZIF-8 for either APS or CPT were all carried out in a coexisting manner of diffusion and skeleton corrosion. In addition, in vitro cytotoxicity assay indicated nanofiber membranes with good cytocompatibility. Therefore, the multi-structured PLA/CS@ZIF-8 nanofiber membranes has been used as a potential pH-responsive dual drug release system.

Performance of Zr-Based Metal-Organic Framework Materials as In Vitro Systems for the Oral Delivery of Captopril and Ibuprofen

Zr-based metal-organic framework materials (Zr-MOFs) with increased specific surface area and pore volume were obtained using chemical (two materials, Zr-MOF1 and Zr-MOF3) and solvothermal (Zr-MOF2) synthesis methods and investigated via FT-IR spectroscopy, TGA, SANS, PXRD, and SEM methods. The difference between Zr-MOF1 and Zr-MOF3 lies in the addition of reactants during synthesis. Nitrogen porosimetry data indicated the presence of pores with average dimensions of ~4 nm; using SANS, the average size of the Zr-MOF nanocrystals was suggested to be approximately 30 nm. The patterns obtained through PXRD were characterized by similar features that point to well-crystallized phases specific for the UIO-66 type materials; SEM also revealed that the materials were composed of small and agglomerate crystals. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that both materials had approximately two linker deficiencies per Zr6 formula unit. Captopril and ibuprofen loading and release experiments in different buffered solutions were performed using the obtained Zr-based metal-organic frameworks as drug carriers envisaged for controlled drug release. The carriers demonstrated enhanced drug-loading capacity and showed relatively good results in drug delivery. The cumulative percentage of drug release in phosphate-buffered solution at pH 7.4 was higher than that in buffered solution at pH 1.2. The release rate could be controlled by changing the pH of the releasing solution. Different captopril release behaviors were observed when the experiments were performed using a permeable dialysis membrane.

An updated review on oral protein-based antigen vaccines efficiency and delivery approaches: a special attention to infectious diseases

Various infectious agents affect human health via the oral entrance. The majority of pathogens lack approved vaccines. Oral vaccination is a convenient, safe and cost-effective approach with the potential of provoking mucosal and systemic immunity and maintaining individual satisfaction. However, vaccines should overcome the intricate environment of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Oral protein-based antigen vaccines (OPAVs) are easier to administer than injectable vaccines and do not require trained healthcare professionals. Additionally, the risk of needle-related injuries, pain, and discomfort is eliminated. However, OPAVs stability at environmental and GIT conditions should be considered to enhance their stability and facilitate their transport and storage. These vaccines elicit the local immunity, protecting GIT, genital tract and respiratory epithelial surfaces, where numerous pathogens penetrate the body. OPAVs can also be manipulated (such as using specific incorporated ligand and receptors) to elicit targeted immune response. However, low bioavailability of OPAVs necessitates development of proper protein carriers and formulations to enhance their stability and efficacy. There are several strategies to improve their efficacy or protective effects, such as incorporation of adjuvants, enzyme inhibitors, mucoadhesive or penetrating devices and permeation enhancers. Hence, efficient delivery of OPAVs into GIT require proper delivery systems mainly including smart target systems, probiotics, muco-adhesive carriers, lipid- and plant-based delivery systems and nano- and microparticles.

Effect of a Zr-Based Metal-Organic Framework Structure on the Properties of Its Composite with Polyaniline

Composites of polyaniline (PANI) and Zr-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), UiO-66 and UiO-66-NH₂, were synthesized by the oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of MOF templates with the MOF content in the resulting materials (78.2 and 86.7 wt %, respectively) close to the theoretical value (91.5 wt %). Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed that the morphology of the composites was set by the morphology of the MOFs, whose structure was mostly preserved after the synthesis, based on the X-ray diffraction data. Vibrational and NMR spectroscopies pointed out that MOFs participate in the protonation of PANI and conducting polymer chains were grafted to amino groups of UiO-66-NH₂. Unlike PANI-UiO-66, cyclic voltammograms of PANI-UiO-66-NH₂ showed a well-resolved redox peak at around ≈0 V, pointing at the pseudocapacitive behavior. The gravimetric capacitance of PANI-UiO-66-NH₂, normalized per mass of the active material, was also found to be higher compared to that of pristine PANI (79.8 and 50.5 F g^-1, respectively, at 5 mV s^-1). The introduction of MOFs into the composites with PANI significantly improved the cycling stability of the materials over 1000 cycles compared to the pristine conducting polymer, with the residual gravimetric capacitance being ≥100 and 77%, respectively. Thus, the electrochemical performance of the prepared PANI-MOF composites makes them attractive materials for application in energy storage.