Preparation, Characterization, and In Vitro Release of Curcumin-Loaded IRMOF-10 Nanoparticles and Investigation of Their Pro-Apoptotic Effects on Human Hepatoma HepG2 Cells

Abstract

Curcumin (CUR) has a bright future in the treatment of cancer as a natural active ingredient with great potential. However, curcumin has a low solubility, which limits its clinical application. In this study, IRMOF-10 was created by the direct addition of triethylamine, CUR was loaded into IRMOF-10 using the solvent adsorption method, and the two were characterized using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) methods, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. We also used the MTT method, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining, the annexin V/PI method, cellular uptake, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) to perform a safety analysis and anticancer activity study of IRMOF-10 and CUR@IRMOF-10 on HepG2 cells. Our results showed that CUR@IRMOF-10 had a CUR load of 63.96%, with an obvious slow-release phenomenon. The CUR levels released under different conditions at 60 h were 33.58% (pH 7.4) and 31.86% (pH 5.5). Cell experiments proved that IRMOF-10 was biologically safe and could promote curcumin entering the nucleus, causing a series of reactions, such as an increase in reactive oxygen species and a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential, thereby leading to cell apoptosis. In summary, IRMOF-10 is an excellent drug carrier and CUR@IRMOF-10 is an effective anti-liver cancer sustained-release preparation.

Metal-organic frameworks for efficient drug adsorption and delivery

“…Comparison of the diffractogram of the synthesized MOF with literature data demonstrates the conformity of the materials and the correctness of the synthesis [65,67,100,202]. Identification of functional groups and bonds in the structure is possible by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) [102,152,162,167,187,209,212] and μRaman spectroscopy [146,152,212]. A comparison of the bands present on the spectrum of pristine MOF with the spectral bands of the drug@MOF composite is necessary to determine the loading efficiency of the drug.…”

“…Then, the use of a water-sensitive metalorganic framework can enable drug delivery, as well as accelerate the achievement of a minimum therapeutic dose. An example of such a drug is curcumin (CUR) [209,210].…”

Cumulative antitumor effect of bismuth lipophilic nanoparticles and cetylpyridinium chloride in inhibiting the growth of lung cancer

“…Through curcumin-labeling and uptake assays we corroborated that BisBAL NP were effectively internalized into tumor cells, as previous studies suggested. 35,36 Yin et al 37 described the internalization of curcumin-loaded IRMOF-10 nanoparticles after a 30-min exposure. BisBAL NP internalization into A549 cells also occurred within 30 min and augmented with time, which correlated with timelines of more severe growth inhibition.…”