A novel design of superparamagnetic iron oxide-based metal–organic framework for SSI-assisted drug delivery system

Abstract

A novel drug nanocarrier with a magnetic core and a metal organic framework (MOF) shell was constructed by in situ growth of a three-dimensional network ZIF-8 on the surface of carboxy-functionalized Fe₃O₄. The resulting drug delivery system (DDS) showed strong superparamagnetism, boasting exceptional magnetization saturation at 11.15 emu g⁻¹, an impressive magnetocaloric effect of a temperature rise of 12.9 °C within 6 min at 20 A, and a significant T₂-weighted MR-image property. The drug encapsulation ability was investigated by loading a model drug namely curcumol (CUR) into the nanocarriers through supercritical solution impregnation (SSI) technology. The resulting Fe₃O₄@ZIF-8-CUR achieved a maximum loading content of 2.2 wt%, which was 3.4 times higher than that obtained using the ethanol impregnation process. As expected, a continuous drug release behavior of Fe₃O₄@ZIF-8-CUR was observed. This study presents a state-of-the-art methodology for designing biocompatible DDSs with magnetic responsiveness for advanced drug delivery applications.