title: Metal-organic frameworks as potential drug delivery systems.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a unique class of hybrid porous solids based on metals and organic linkers. Compared to traditional porous materials, they possess predominance of large surface areas, tunable pore size and shape, adjustable composition and functionalized pore surface, which enable them unique advantages and promises for applications in adsorption and release of therapeutic agents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review addresses MOFs as a new avenue for drug delivery and exhibits their ability to efficiently deliver various kinds of therapeutic agents. It also details the requirements that MOFs need to satisfy for biomedical application, such as toxicological compatibility, stability, particle size, and surface modification. In addition, several approaches used to enhance encapsulation efficiency are summarized and parameters influencing delivery efficiency are also discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Benefiting from the unique advantages of MOFs materials, efficient delivery of various kinds of drugs has been achieved in some MOF materials. However, it is only the outset of MOFs in drug delivery system, and numerous work need to be done before clinical applications, for example, studying their in vivo toxicity, exploring degradation mechanisms so as to establish real stability of MOFs in body's liquid, providing appropriated surface modification avenue for MOFs, and researching in vivo efficiency and pharmacokinetics of drug-loaded MOFs.
authors.affiliation: Northeast Normal University, Institute of Functional Materials Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Polyoxometalate Science of Ministry of Education, Changchun, Jilin, 130024, China. zmsu@nenu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Chun-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Xin-Long
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhong-Min
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Su
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D016062:Porosity
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D009942:Organometallic Compounds