Postmetalated Zirconium Metal Organic Frameworks as a Highly Potent Bactericide

Inorg Chem. 2017 Apr 17;56(8):4740-4745. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.7b00429. Epub 2017 Mar 24.

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as an important class of hybrid organic-inorganic materials. One of the reasons they have gained remarkable attention is attributed to the possibility of altering them by postsynthetic modification, thereby providing access to new and novel advanced materials. MOFs have been applied in catalysis, gas storage, gas separation, chemical sensing, and drug delivery. However, their bactericidal use has rarely been explored. Herein, we developed a two-step process for the synthesis of zirconium-based MOFs metalated with silver cations as a potent antibacterial agent. The obtained products were thoroughly characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible, IR, thermogravimetric, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analyses. Their potency was evaluated against E. coli with a reported minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration of as low as 6.5 μg/mL of silver content. Besides the novelty of the system, the advantage of this strategy is that the MOFs could be potentially regenerated and remetalated after each antibacterial test, unlike previously reported frameworks, which involved the destruction of the framework.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemical synthesis
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Escherichia coli / drug effects*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Molecular Structure
  • Organometallic Compounds / chemical synthesis
  • Organometallic Compounds / chemistry
  • Organometallic Compounds / pharmacology*
  • Particle Size
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Zirconium / chemistry
  • Zirconium / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Organometallic Compounds
  • Zirconium