Amino-functionalized indium-based metal–organic framework conjugated with folic acid for targeted delivery of ۵-fluorouracil on MCF-۷ cell lines of human breast cancer

Although cancer has been known as a major cause of death across the globe, few effective treatments are currently available.[۱] Such inherent deficiencies in conventional therapeutic methods concerning tumor specificity and non-specific toxicity encourage more detailed investigations into alternative treatments to address the existing restrictions.[۲] A recently emerging drug delivery mechanism, known as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), has shown promising results associated with their highly porous structure. However, despite the discovery of various MOF nanostructures, only a single biofunctional MOF source has been reported for MOF-derived nanocarriers, indicating poor colloidal stability.[۳] Hence, a pH-responsive amino-functionalized indium-based MOF (In-MOF) was developed in conjugation with folic acid for the ۵-Fluorouracil (۵-Fu) targeted delivery. In-vitro investigations revealed better water solubility and stability, greater intracellular uptake, and improved cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells when using the ۵-Fu/FA@In-MOF nanocarrier with less amount of ۵-Fu drug compared to free drugs. As shown, the pH value of ۵.۴ resulted in almost ۳ times more drug release compared to the biological environment (۹۴% vs. ۲۷%). As shown by in-vitro cytotoxicity screening results, the FA@In-MOF with cell viability of >۹۴% could be a promising biocompatible carrier, and as a dual cancer targeting drug delivery raising the possibility of its nanocarrier development for more effective ۵-Fu delivery at tumor sites, which would subsequently enhance its antitumor function against breast cancers. Hence, it can be a promising alternative for injectable medications considering this characteristic, in addition to the carrier components’ low toxicity.

کلیدواژه ها:

Metal–organic framework ، Targeted delivery ، Breast cancer ، ۵-fluorouracil