Embedding an extraordinary amount of gemifloxacin antibiotic in ZIF-8 framework with one-step synthesis and measurement of its H2O2-sensitive release and potency against infectious bacteria

Abstract

The problems caused by the use of pharmaceutical compounds have led to the development of targeted drug delivery systems. Most of the introduced systems were explored in the field of cancer and its related conditions, and minor specialized studies have investigated infectious conditions. In the present work, the one-step embedding of gemifloxacin (GEM) in the framework of ZIF-8 was performed at room temperature in water. GEM is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, and ZIF-8 is a well-known subset of the metal–organic frameworks. With the help of analytical tools, embedding of the drug in the ZIF-8 framework and the resulting characteristics were studied. During the encapsulation procedure, extraordinary levels of drug loading content (DLC) = 69.82 ± 3.32% and drug loading efficiency (DLE) = 89.03 ± 3.84% were measured. H₂O₂-sensitive release of GEM from GEM@ZIF-8 was examined under simulated infected tissue conditions, and its sustained release and targeting behavior were observed. The activity of the compound against bacteria was also studied by agar well diffusion and broth dilution assays, which showed a significant effect of the loaded sample.