Cancer therapy by nano MIL-n series of metal-organic frameworks

In recent years, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted attention for cancer treatment. The MIL-n series is a popular sub-group of MOFs, which can be attributed to their appropriate stability, availability, and simplicity of synthesis methods and materials (ligand and metal). Additionally, they possess a suitable pore size for drug encapsulation and high surface area. There is an increasing number of published papers on the application of the nano MIL-n series in cancer therapy. Most early publications in the drug delivery field were based on single treatment methods, usually via chemotherapy and the loaded anticancer drugs in MOFs. However, in recent research, combining chemotherapy with other methods, such as photothermal therapy (PTT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), and photodynamic therapy (PDT), has been widely investigated because of its potential to improve the effectiveness of anticancer drugs and deplete tumor growth. This review provides an overview of recent cancer therapy methods using the nano MIL-n series of MOFs for both single and combination therapy approaches. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the MIL-n series, which is an essential aspect of biological applications, is evaluated.