Fabrication of novel poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)-coated UiO-66-NH2 metal organic framework nanocarrier for the controlled release of doxorubicin against A549 lung cancer cells

The nano metal-organic frameworks (NMOFs) have been developed for drug delivery systems due to their high porosity and large specific surface area. In this work, UiO-66-NH2 NMOFs were synthesized via the microwave heating method and doxorubicin (DOX) as an anticancer drug was incorporated into the UiO-66-NH2 NMOFs. Then, poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PNVCL) synthesized by the free radical polymerization was coated on the UiO-66-NH2 NMOFs surface to fabricate dual pH/temperature-responsive nanocomposite against A549 lung cancer cells death in vitro. The synthesized nanocarriers were characterized using FTIR, 1H NMR, DLS, XRD, SEM, FESEM, TGA, and BET analysis. The average particle sizes of UiO-66-NH2, PNVCL 1% and PNVCL 2%-coated UiO-66-NH2/DOX NMOFs were found to be 190 ± 110 nm, 265 ± 140 nm, and 360 ± 150 nm, respectively. TGA analysis showed that the PNVCL percentages-coated UiO-66-NH2 NMOFs were found to be about 17.5%, and 27.3% for NMOFs incubated in 1% and 2% PNVCL solutions, respectively. The BET surface area of UiO-66-NH2 NMOFs, UiO-66-NH2 NMOFs/DOX 100 μg mL−1, and PNVCL 1%-coated NMOFs/DOX was found to be 1052, 121, and 87 m2g-1, respectively. The DOX release data of UiO-66-NH2 and PNVCL-coated UiO-66-NH2/DOX were evaluated under pH values of 5.5, 7.4, and temperatures of 25 °C, 37 °C. The maximum cytotoxicity of A549 cancer cells treated with PNVCL 1%-coated UiO-66-NH2/DOX 100 μg mL−1 NMOFs was found to be 76%. The obtained results revealed the high capability of UiO-66-NH2/DOX/PNVCL dual-responsive nanocomposite for delivery of anticancer drugs.