Recent Advances in Research on the Effect of Physicochemical Properties on the Cytotoxicity of Metal–Organic Frameworks

Abstract

Reticular chemistry has become a powerful tool for scientists to design crystalline porous materials with different fundamental units. [1] Over the past decades, porous materials have gained great attention due to their outstanding performance and wide applications. Among various porous materials, the combination of metal nodes and organic linkers by coordination bonds creates new hybrid porous materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and opens a new window in the design of porous materials.Since the first report on MOFs by Yaghi's group in 1995, [2] more than 100 000 kinds of MOFs have been synthesized according to the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). The unique characteristics, including tunable porosity, customized chemical composition, large specific surface area, and easy functionalization, make MOFs promising candidates for numerous applications in diverse fields such as gas storage and separation, catalysis, sensing, adsorption, energy, and biomedical sciences. [3] In addition, the large-scale production and commercialization of MOFs began from 2016. [4] For instance, the commercial MOF adsorbent for storage of 1-methylcyclopropene to ripen vegetables and fruits was driven to the market. [5] The Numat's ION-X gas cylinder was designed based on the MOF adsorbent to store hazardous gases for semiconductor industry, showing significant advantages over traditional adsorbents. [3a] Apart from the commercialization in gas storage, the MOF-303-based apparatus has been used to collect water in the desert. [6] Despite the advantages of MOFs, the wide application of MOFs has led to environmental health risks. The accidental release of MOF particles into the environment from their bulk-products is inevitable during the lifecycle of MOFs. The deposition, decomposition, and distribution of released MOFs in environmental media could result in the exposure to humans and other organisms, inducing various biological effects. In addition, the intentional administration of MOFs in biomedicine (such as bioimaging, drug delivery system) also leads to the exposure risks to humans. Under these circumstances, the environmental health risks of MOFs are unavoidable.The toxicity of MOFs plays an important role in their health risk assessment. Compared with in vivo and ex vivo toxicity assessments, in vitro toxicity evaluation based on cell culture is low cost, fast, and high throughput, making it an ideal model in toxicity research. As the basic unit in organism, cells play an important role in life activity. The toxic effects on cells would affect their function and therefore induce significant response

Environmental implications of metal–organic frameworks and MXenes in biomedical applications: a perspective

“…The cytotoxicity mechanisms associated with MOFs can be attributed to several factors. 70 One factor is the release of metal ions or organic ligands from the MOF structure, which can induce toxicity or interfere with cellular processes. 71 In addition, the size and surface charge of MOFs can influence their cellular uptake and interactions with intracellular components, potentially leading to cytotoxic effects.…”

Highly Selective Extraction of U(VI) from Solutions by Metal Organic Framework-Based Nanomaterials through Sorption, Photochemistry, and Electrochemistry Strategies

“…In addition, physicochemical parameters including particle size, morphology, Zate potential, etc., are the main parameters affecting the toxicity of MOFs. 98 The hazards of the types of metals in MOFs are ranked as follows: structures containing Cu and Mn can be classified as high toxicity, those with Zn, Fe, Co, and Al as medium toxicity, and those composed of Cr, Zr, and Mg as low toxicity. Ruyra et al explored the toxicity of a series of MOF-74 composed of the following metal ions: Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Mn, and Mg. 99 The results of the HepG2 and MCF7 cell viability assay showed that Cu-and Mn-MOF-74 exhibited the highest toxicity, and Co, Ni, and Mg-based counterparts were biocompatible.…”

A Self‐Purifying Smart Mask Integrated With Metal–Organic Framework Membranes and Flexible Circuits

“…[31] The cytotoxicity test suggests that ZIF-8 powders and related membranes are biocompatible, which is consistent with other studies. [32][33][34] Thus, the ZIF-8/PAN filtration membranes can be used for long-term in vivo personal protection.…”