Metal-Organic Frameworks for the Therapy of Inflammatory Diseases

Abstract

Inflammation is a natural immune response triggered by harmful external or internal stimuli. However, when inflammation fails to resolve and restore basal homeostasis, it can lead to various inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and diabetic chronic wound (DCW). The modulation of inflammation follows a highly complex mechanism, and monotherapy is often insufficient for treating such conditions. Therefore, developing next-generation nanocarriers for anti-inflammatory drug delivery and multi-target combination therapies is critical. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of porous coordination polymers with large surface areas and adaptable porosity, have emerged as promising drug delivery systems (DDS) due to their biodegradability, high drug loading capacity, stimuli-responsive drug release, and ease of functionalization. Over the past five years, MOFs have shown significant promise in treating inflammatory diseases, either as DDS or as intrinsic anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative agents. Additionally, hybrid MOFs, which combine MOFs with nanozymes, offer a multifunctional anti-inflammatory platform with great potential. This review intends to provide a comprehensive review of the recent development of MOF-based nanomedicines for the therapy of inflammatory diseases. The challenges and future directions of research into the use of MOFs in the treatment of these diseases will also be discussed.