The employment of metal–organic framework (MOF)-based
nanomaterials
has been rapidly increasing in bioapplications owing to their biocompatibility,
drug degradation, tunable porosity, and intrinsic biodegradability.
This evidence suggests that the multifunctional bimetallic ions can
behave as remarkable candidates for infection control and wound healing.
In this study, bimetallic MOFs (Zn-HKUST-1 and FolA-Zn-HKUST-1) embedded
with and without folic acid were synthesized and used for tissue sealing
and repairing incisional wound sites in mice models. For comparison,
HKUST-1 and FolA-HKUST-1 were also synthesized. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
(BET) surface area measured for HKUST-1, FolA-HKUST-1, Zn-HKUST-1,
and FolA-Zn-HKUST-1 from N2 isotherms was found to be 1868,
1392, 1706, and 1179 m2/g, respectively. The measurements
of contact angle values for Zn-HKUST-1, FolA-HKUST-1, and Zn-FolA-HKUST-1
were identified as 4.95 ± 0.8, 43.6 ± 3.4, and 60.62 ±
2.0°, respectively. For topical application in wound healing,
they display a wide range of healing characteristics, including antibacterial
and enhanced wound healing rates. In addition, in vitro cell migration and tubulogenic potentials were evaluated. The significant
reduction in the wound gap and increased expression levels for CD31,
eNOS, VEGF-A, and Ki67 were observed from immunohistological analyses
to predict the angiogenesis behavior at the incision wound site. The
wound healing rate was analyzed in the excisional dermal wounds of
diabetic mice model in vivo. On account of antibacterial
potentials and tissue-repairing characteristics of Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions, designing an innovative mixed metal ion-based
biomaterial has wide applicability and is expected to modulate the
growth of various gradient tissues.