Development of metal-organic framework biocomposites from chitosan drug delivery vehicles: In vitro evaluation on HeLa and SH-SY5Y cell lines

In modern times, achieving precise drug delivery through a safe and stable carrier remains a significant challenge. In this study, we synthesized a novel ligand based on a guanazole Schiff base and subsequently developed new metal-organic framework (MOF) named UWO-1 through a reaction involving zinc acetate. At the same time, curcumin (CUR) was loaded onto the newly synthesized UWO-1. The formation of UWO-1 and CUR loading were confirmed through various spectral analyses, including FT-IR, SEM, PXRD, XPS, TGA, zeta potential, DLS, and BET. The specific BET surface area of the UWO-1 is approximately 1456.50 m2/g. The resulting drug delivery system exhibited a drug loading of 30.7 % and an encapsulation efficiency of 94.9 %. CUR@UWO-1 demonstrated rapid drug release, leading to the application of a chitosan (CS) coating to achieve controlled and delayed intravenous delivery, resulting in the creation of CS/CUR@UWO-1 biocomposite microspheres. The cumulative release profile of CUR from CS/CUR@UWO-1 was evaluated in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at pH 5.0 and 7.4 over 18 h, revealing release percentages of 66.99% and 47.18 %, respectively. The release kinetics were studied and found to closely follow the Higuchi model, which was determined to be the best fit. Furthermore, the material's cytotoxicity and anticancer activity were assessed by measuring mitochondrial metabolic activity in vitro. Additionally, this nanosystem was able to internalize the drug into the cells. The combined advantages of enhanced drug loading and sustained pH-responsive release highlight the potential of the MOF-based biocomposite as a versatile drug delivery system for therapeutic applications.