Tunable Zn-MOF-74 nanocarriers coated with sodium alginate as versatile drug carriers

In this study, MOF-74 nanocarriers were coated with sodium alginate (SALG) to enhance physicochemical properties and biocompatibility. Spectroscopic and microscopic analyses showed MOF-74 particle size below 100 nm. Zinc-based MOF-74 nanocarriers (Zn-MOF-74) were developed for doxorubicin (DOX) delivery, achieving high drug loading efficiency (DLE) and drug loading capacity (DLC) as measured by UV–visible spectrometry. Nanocarriers synthesized using zinc acetate (R_A-MOF-74) achieved a DLE of 96.5% and a DLC of 19.6%, outperforming those prepared with zinc nitrate (R_N-MOF-74) with a DLE of 88.8% and a DLC of 18.3%. Uncoated samples released cargo rapidly at pH 1.5 and significantly at pH 8. In contrast, SALG-coated samples showed reduced release at pH 1.5 and reached 54.2% release at pH 8 due to alginate’s physicochemical properties. Drug release from DOX@R_A-MOF-74/ALG was significantly slower and more sustained than from uncoated samples. This study demonstrates the potential of SALG-coated R_A-MOF-74 as a controlled drug release system for biomedical applications.