Self-Assembled pH-Responsive Metal-Organic Frameworks for Enhancing the Encapsulation and Anti-Oxidation and Melanogenesis Inhibition Activities of Glabridin

Abstract

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are formed by self-assembly of metal ions and organic ligands. A special type of MOF called ZIF-8, which is formed by self-assembly of zinc ions and 2-methylimidazole, shows excellent stability in aqueous solutions and disintegrates under acidic conditions. These properties make ZIF-8 a suitable carrier material for pH-stimulated drug delivery systems. Glabridin is an isoflavane compound that is widely present in the roots of licorice. Because of its outstanding skin whitening properties, glabridin is widely used as a whitener in the cosmetics industry. In this study, ZIF-8 was employed to encapsulate glabridin. Glabridin-loaded ZIF-8 was successfully prepared with a drug encapsulation efficiency of 98.67%. The prepared sample showed a fusiform or cruciate flower-like structure, and its size was about 3 μm. ZIF-8 enabled pH-controlled release of glabridin. Moreover, ZIF-8 encapsulation significantly enhanced the intracellular anti-oxidant activity and melanogenesis inhibitory activity of glabridin. This study provides a new approach that shows great potential to improve the biological application of glabridin.

Recent Advances in Metal–Organic-Framework-Based Nanocarriers for Controllable Drug Delivery and Release

“…For example, J. Dong and coworkers successfully constructed a pHand GSH-responsive core-shell hybrid material as a chemodynamic therapy (CDT)/chemotherapy (CT) dual-therapeutic agent (entry 18, Table 1) [85]. As seen in Figure 13a, the Cu-MOF core is synthesized via the coordination assembly of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT) and Cu 2+ , which is further covered by a porous shell using bis[3-(triethoxysilyl)pro- More importantly, Zn-based zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) have been widely used as nanocarriers for controlled drug delivery and release because of the good biocompatibility, morphological controllability, low toxicity, and small particle size of the ZIFs [159][160][161][162][163][164][165][166][167][168][169][170][171][172][173]. Meanwhile, the ZIFs are easily assembled with other functional materials to enhance the drug-treatment effect.…”

“…Notably, ZIF-8 is easily broken under weak acid conditions, which can be utilized in the targeted drug release in cancer cells in the acid environment. More importantly, Zn-based zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) have been widely used as nanocarriers for controlled drug delivery and release because of the good biocompatibility, morphological controllability, low toxicity, and small particle size of the ZIFs [159][160][161][162][163][164][165][166][167][168][169][170][171][172][173]. Meanwhile, the ZIFs are easily assembled with other functional materials to enhance the drug-treatment effect.…”

Fabrication of sulfobutylether‐β‐cyclodextrin/glabridin inclusion complex for promoting bioactivities

“…[ 5 ] Given the robust biological activity of GLD, numerous researchers have focused on the application and formulation of GLD in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. [ 6‐8 ] However, GLD exhibits poor water solubility and low polarity, thus impeding its absorption in vivo and clinical application. Several preparation methods have been designed to improve the stability and solubility of GLD, such as poly‐γ‐glutamic acid nanoparticle, [ 9 ] nanoemulsion, [ 10 ] and metal‐organic framework.…”

“…Several preparation methods have been designed to improve the stability and solubility of GLD, such as poly‐γ‐glutamic acid nanoparticle, [ 9 ] nanoemulsion, [ 10 ] and metal‐organic framework. [ 6 ] However, the contribution of these methods to improving the water solubility of GLD is not satisfactory, and the systematic evaluation of preparation on the biological activity of GLD was not specified in those research.…”