A novel approach for the synthesis of phospholipid bilayer-coated zeolitic imidazolate frameworks: preparation and characterization as a pH-responsive drug delivery system

摘要

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) have recently attracted significant interest in drug delivery systems (DDSs); nevertheless, their stability and colloidal stability under biological conditions remain an important challenge. Herein, a novel and straightforward method was developed to prepare phospholipid bilayer (PLB) coated ZIF-4. The obtained core/shell nanoparticles were comprehensively characterized by PXRD, TGA, DLS, TEM, AFM, and FT-IR analysis. The PLB-coated ZIF-4 had a particle size of ca. 120 nm and showed outstanding water dispersity and stability in phosphate buffer solution as well. TEM images demonstrated that the ZIF-4 particles were shielded by an approximate to 3 nm PLB ring. PXRD patterns and FT-IR analysis further confirmed that PLB was coated onto the surface of the ZIF-4 particles. Furthermore, the curcumin-loaded nanoparticles possess high drug entrapment efficiency (80.8%) and exhibited a pH-responsive drug release behavior. Based on the obtained results, the pH-sensitive DDS presents great potential for future effective drug delivery applications.