Metal-Based Categorization of Recent Metal Organic Frameworks with Application in Bone Disease Treatment

Abstract

Recent advancements in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have transformed the field of bone disease treatment by offering multifunctional platforms that integrate targeted drug delivery, enhanced osteogenesis, and antibacterial properties within a single material system. This review categorizes contemporary MOFs based on their metal constituents, such as zinc, magnesium, zirconium, cobalt, calcium, iron, copper, titanium, and rare earth metals, emphasizing their distinct physicochemical properties and unique biological functionalities. Unlike traditional biomaterials, MOFs provide highly tunable pore architectures and exceptional surface areas for efficient drug encapsulation and controlled release, facilitating localized therapeutic effects with minimal invasiveness. Cutting-edge developments include one-pot synthesis methods that enable the uniform distribution of therapeutic agents and sustained release profiles, significantly improving clinical applicability. This perspective highlights the synergistic effects of MOFs combined with scaffolds, hydrogels, and implants, which promote cellular proliferation, osteogenic differentiation, and angiogenesis, thus addressing critical challenges in bone regeneration. Moreover, emerging insights into metal ion-specific mechanisms such as calcium signaling in osteogenesis, zinc-mediated angiogenesis, and the antibacterial role of copper and rare earth elements underscore the strategic design of MOFs tailored to complex bone pathologies, including osteoporosis, infections, and osteosarcoma. This comprehensive overview not only maps recent progress but also delineates future research directions to optimize MOF functionality and expedite its translation into clinical bone therapies.