Title:Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIF-8) for Biomedical Applications: A Review
Volume: 28
Issue: 34
Author(s): Hani Nasser Abdelhamid*
Affiliation:
- Advanced Multifunctional Materials Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Assiut University, Assiut 71516,Egypt
Keywords:
Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8), drug delivery, antibacterial, biosensing, biocatalysis, Metal-
organic frameworks (MOFs).
Abstract: Beyond being an excellent protective material for bioentities, zeolitic imidazolate
frameworks (ZIF-8) have advanced several applications, including biomedical applications.
The straightforward synthesis of ZIF-8 at mild conditions improved the biomineralization
of several biomolecules, e.g., protein, peptides, carbohydrate, and biological
cells, such as viruses and bacterial cells. Bioinspiration of ZIF-8 enhanced and improved
the material's applications for biomedicine. This review article summarized the recent
achievements of ZIF-8 for biomedical applications such as cancer therapy, antimicrobial,
biosensing, and biocatalysis. ZIF8-based materials advanced cancer therapy via drug delivery
of chemotherapeutic drugs, photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy
(PDT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), gene therapy, and starvation therapy. Antibacterial
agent encapsulated ZIF-8 exhibited superior biological activity compared to the free
antibacterial agents. ZIF-8 based materials enhanced the selectivity and sensitivity for analytes'
biosensing, ensuring their potential for electronic devices. Biocatalysis of enzyme
encapsulated ZIF-8 offered high catalytic performance with robust properties for recycling.
ZIF-8 acts as a protective host for enzymes, proteins, and drugs from degradation
induced due to temperature, solvents, and proteolytic agents. The first part of the review
discussed the structure, chemistry, and bioinspiration of ZIF-8. The second part reviewed
the biomedical applications of ZIF-8. The potential risks and current challenges of using
ZIF-8 for biomedical applications were also reviewed.
