Anticancer, anti-biofilm and antimicrobial activity of fucoidan-loaded zeolitic imidazole framework fabricated by one-pot synthesis method

Biocompatible drug delivery system with precise and sustained release is necessary for biomedical applications. Zeolitic imidazole frameworks (ZIF-L), an emerging porous material, have been widely reported as efficient platform for the drug delivery. The present study focuses on one-pot organic solvent-free synthesis of fucoidan-loaded ZIF-L (FU@ZIF-L) and assess its biomedical applications. Antimicrobial, anticancer efficiency and biocompatibility of FU@ZIF-L was systematically investigated. Formation of FU@ZIF-L was confirmed by UV–Visible spectroscopy, while XRD analysis revealed presence of two-dimensional flaky crystalline structures, which was substantiated by TEM analysis. DLS analysis showed homogenously distributed crystals with particle size of 78 nm suitable for cellular intake. Results revealed that FU@ZIF-L exhibited potent antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli. In addition, FU@ZIF-L was observed to be more efficient in piercing and disturbing the biofilm architecture of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. Furthermore, FU@ZIF-L exhibited cytotoxic effect against A549 cells with IC50 value of 38.5 ± 2.34 μg/ml. ROS-mediated nuclear damage might be the reason for its anticancer potential. Brine shrimp lethality assay confirmed the biocompatible nature of FU@ZIF-L. To conclude, ZIF-L acts as effective drug delivery system for fucoidan enhancing its biomedical applications.