Abstract
Background: Nano-Metal-Organic Frameworks (NMOFs) have stable pores in their assembly. In the recent era, these have been used in biomedicine, magnetic and electronic devices and sensors. MOFs also have a potential concern in biomedical applications, a new substitute of therapeutic and/or diagnostic materials, among others. Initially, NMOFs have been used as delivery vehicles for imaging contrast agents and molecular therapeutics.
Discussion: Subsequently, several paramagnetic metal ions carrying capacity of NMOFs has been extensive explored as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) contrast agents. Gd3+ and Mn2+, both in NMOFs have shown brilliant efficiency as T1 -weighted contrast agents with large per metal- and per particle-based MR relaxivities. In this review, the focus is mostly over the uses of NMOFs in imaging techniques, also discussing some significant models of micrometric MOFs that have been discovered to date in the biomedical arena.
Conclusion: The ready internalization of NMOFs by cells rendered their applications in sensing biologically relevant molecules such as Ca2+ and NO responsible for signal transduction, Na+/ K+ responsible for ion channels and proton pumps, Cl- responsible for osmotic pressure, and other processes in live cells.
Keywords: Nano-MOF, medical imaging, MRI, bio-sensing, biomedicine, micrometric.
Graphical Abstract
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