Metal-Organic Frameworks-Based Nanoplatforms for the Theranostic Applications of Neurological Diseases

  • Small. 2023 Jun;19(23):e2206575. doi: 10.1002/smll.202206575.
Huicong Niu  1  2 ,  Hui Bu  3 ,  Jing Zhao  1 ,  Yufang Zhu  2  4
Affiliations
  • 1. Department of Neurology, Minhang Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, P. R. China.
  • 2. State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China.
  • 3. The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050000, P. R. China.
  • 4. Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China.
Abstract

Neurological diseases are the foremost cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide. Owing to the special microenvironment of neural tissues and biological characteristics of neural cells, a considerable number of neurological disorders are currently incurable. In the past few years, the development of nanoplatforms based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has broadened opportunities for offering sensitive diagnosis/monitoring and effective therapy of neurology-related diseases. In this article, the obstacles for neurotherapeutics, including delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis, the existence of blood brain barrier (BBB), off-target treatment, irrepressible inflammatory storm/oxidative stress, and irreversible nerve cell death are summarized. Correspondingly, MOFs-based diagnostic/monitoring strategies such as neuroimaging and biosensors (electrochemistry, fluorometry, colorimetry, electrochemiluminescence, etc.) and MOFs-based therapeutic strategies including higher BBB permeability, targeting specific lesion sites, attenuation of neuroinflammation/oxidative stress as well as regeneration of nerve cells, are extensively highlighted for the management of neurological diseases. Finally, the challenges of the present research from perspective of clinical translation are discussed, hoping to facilitate interdisciplinary studies at the intersections between MOFs-based nanoplatforms and neurotheranostics.

Keywords
diagnosis; metal-organic frameworks; monitoring; neurological diseases; therapy.