Metal-organic framework (MOF) for innovative blood purification technology and biomedical applications

The field of blood purification technology requires continuous evolution and advancements of materials to address challenges such as biocompatibility, protein-bound uremic toxins, blood coagulation, auto-immune responses, oxidative stress, and poor clearance of uremic toxins. Blood purification techniques include hemodialysis (HD), hemoperfusion (HP), plasma exchange (PE), and hemofiltration (HF), commonly utilized for patients experiencing organ failure, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or liver failure. Metal-organic frameworks (MOF) are considered emerging and promising materials mainly for HP due to their high adsorption capacity, tailorable pore size, high surface area, functionality, chemical stability, renderability, loading capacity, tailorable topology, and low toxicity. MOFs with self-built metal centers have inherent benefits in coordinating with toxin molecules compared to those without metal frameworks. Recently, MOFs have made remarkable advancements in adsorption, catalytic degradation, and biomedicine due to their expansive specific surface area and intricately formed pore structure. However, the effective use of MOFs in blood purification has yet to be thoroughly reviewed. Therefore, this review explores current research on MOFs and their applications in hemodialysis and hemoperfusion, providing a comprehensive look at how different MOFs are used to overcome challenges in traditional blood purification methods. This review includes the experimental work done with various MOFs as a filler, such as HKUST-1, MIL-101, UiO-66, and ZIF-8, which improve adsorption capacities for a range of uremic toxins (UT) and proteins. Moreover, this review highlights how effectively MOF-based HD membranes remove various uremic toxins, including p-cresol, urea, creatinine, and indoxyl sulfate, and potential filler choices for the future.