title: Metal-organic frameworks as potential drug carriers.
abstract: Nanoparticle-based therapeutics have received increasing attention, as these systems can alleviate many drawbacks of conventional therapy. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a new class of hybrid materials composed of metal ions and organic bridging ligands, have emerged as a promising platform for drug delivery, owing to their high drug loadings, biodegradability, and versatile functionality. The bulk MOF materials can absorb and release large amounts of therapeutics including ibuprofen, procainamide, and nitric oxide. Scale-down of MOFs to the nanoregime yields nanoscale metal-organic frameworks (NMOFs) that are more applicable as delivery vehicles, such as selective delivery of cisplatin prodrugs. Although progress has been made in utilizing NMOFs for drug delivery, many improvements must occur before they can become viable nanotherapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, CB#3290, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Huxford
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Della Rocca
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations