Abstract
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown a great potential in biomedicine due to their promising applications in different fields, including drug delivery, thermometry, theranostics etc. In this context, the development of magnetic sub-micrometric or nanometric MOFs through miniaturization approaches of magnetic MOFs up to the nanoscale still represents a crucial step to fabricate biomedical probes, especially in the field of theranostic nanomedicine. Miniaturization processes have to be properly designed to tailor the size and shape of particles and to retain magnetic properties and high porosity in the same material, fundamental prerequisites to develop smart nanocarriers integrating simultaneously therapeutic and contrast agents for targeted chemotherapy or other specific clinical use. An overview of current trends on the design of magnetic nanoMOFs in the field of biomedicine, with particular emphasis on theranostics and bioimaging, is herein envisioned.
Highlights
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline porous compounds formed by the self-assembling of metal ions and organic linkers [1,2,3]
NanoMOFs could be a promising alternative to their inorganic and organic counterparts, already proposed for biomedical applications [23], and they are excellent candidates to be used in drug delivery, nanothermometry, biosensing, bioimaging and as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents [24,25,26]
In 2010, Lin and co-workers demonstrated the successful use of magnetic nanoMOFs in the theranostics field [12], pointing out that magnetism is a fundamental pre-requirement of a material to act as a suitable theranostic probe
Summary
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline porous compounds formed by the self-assembling of metal ions and organic linkers [1,2,3]. NanoMOFs could be a promising alternative to their inorganic (metals, silica [17], zeolites [18], ferrites [19,20,21,22]) and organic (micelles, micro-emulsions, liposomes and polymers) counterparts, already proposed for biomedical applications [23], and they are excellent candidates to be used in drug delivery, nanothermometry, biosensing, bioimaging and as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents [24,25,26] Key systems are discussed as perspective, in order to highlight the paramount importance of these multifunctional nanoplatforms in cancer and antibacterial therapy treatment and monitoring, focusing on drug delivery and MRI
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