Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown promise for use as nanoscale delivery agents in biomedical applications. MOFs are a class of porous crystalline materials comprised of metal ions interconnected through a network of organic bridging ligands. Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), a subclass of MOFs, have demonstrated high levels of biocompatibility, as well as remarkable structural and chemical stability. ZIF-90 is of particular interest because it combines high stability and tunable particle sizes with linker aldehyde groups that enable covalent bonding of dyes and therapeutic agents. Results show that tunable particle sizes between 20-600 nm are achievable with size distributions of only 10-20 nm. ZIF-90 NPs were post-synthetically modified with surface functionalized fluorescent dyes for in vitro cell studies using chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells. In vitro studies demonstrate highly efficient delivery of imaging agents across cell membranes. Confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the amount of internalized ZIF-90 NPs, as well as degradation periods. NPs demonstrated a rate of internalization of over 90% into cell lysosomes remaining stable in lysosomal fluid for up to one week and for up to one month in simulated body fluid. Additionally, NPs had minimal impact on the viability of cells even at exceptionally high concentrations of 1000 µg/mL, with over 80% of cells still remaining viable. This work was supported by the Laboratory-Directed Research and Development program at Sandia National Laboratories, a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000

Zeolitic imidazolate framework nanoparticles for imaging and biomedical applications

249th National Meeting (2015)

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