Despite high morbidity and mortality associated to lung diseases, addressing drugs towards lung tissue remains a pending task. Particle lung filtration has been proposed for passive lung targeting and drug delivery. However, toxic issues, derived from the long-term presence of the particles must be overcome. We show here that by exploiting some of the ignored properties of nanosized metal-organic frameworks it is possible to achieve impressive antitumoral effects on experimental lung tumours, even without the need to engineer the surface of the material. In fact, it was discovered that, based on unique pH-responsiveness and reversible aggregation behaviors, nanoMOF was capable to target the lung tissue. At the neutral pH of the blood, the nanoMOFs form aggregates with the adequate size to be retained within the lung capillaries. Then, within 24 h they disaggregate and release their drug payload. This phenomenon was compatible with lung tissue physiology.
References:
Smart Metal-Organic-Framework Nanomaterial for Lung Targeting
Simon-Yarza T, Giménez-Marqués M, Mrimi R, Mielcarek A, Gref R, Horcajada P, Serre C, Couvreur P
Angew Chem Int Ed. 2017 Sep 28.
doi: 10.1002/anie.201707346
Smart Metal-Organic-Framework Nanomaterial for Lung Targeting