A surface architectured metal–organic framework for targeting delivery: Suppresses cancer growth and metastasis

Abstract

Porous nanosized metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are becoming possible candidates as drug-delivery nanocarriers for their versatile porous structures and large loadings of drugs. However, controlling synthesis of MOFs with uniform morphology, good biocompatibility and targeting drug delivery is still a challenge, which greatly limits their clinical applications. Herein, a multifunctional nano-sized drug-delivery material MIL-101(Fe)@FU@FA with a uniform particle size about 500 nm was successfully synthesized for targeting therapeutic purposes. The targeting reagent folic acid (FA) molecules are connected on the surface of 5-FU-loaded nanoparticle MIL-101(Fe)-NH 2 by a covalent conjugation. Cytotoxicity tests showed that the synthesized nanoparticles are biocompatible and can significantly inhibit cell proliferation on SMMC-7721 cells compared with MIL-101(Fe)@FU and free 5-FU. The cell metastasis and invasion experiments proved that the nanoparticles had a good anti-metastasis ability to tumor cells. Mechanistically, MIL-101(Fe)@FU@FA induces apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cells and block cell cycle progression in the G2/M phase. Taken together, the drug-loaded nanoparticles MIL-101(Fe)@FU@FA have the effect of targeting and sustained release to achieve the therapeutic effect.