{
  "abstract": "Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have attracted increasing attention as potential anticancer agents due to their ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase-mediated inflammatory pathways involved in tumor progression. However, their clinical use in oncology remains limited by poor tumor selectivity and systemic toxicity. In this work, we investigate zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles as pH-responsive carriers for the delivery of different NSAIDs with potential anticancer activity. A loading strategy based on the conversion of the drugs into their sodium salts, followed by ultrasound-assisted encapsulation, was developed to preserve the structural integrity of the MOF while achieving efficient drug incorporation. Structural and textural characterization by XRPD, SEM, ATR-MIR spectroscopy, and nitrogen physisorption confirmed the formation of ZIF-8 nanoparticles with an average size of about 150 nm and the successful encapsulation of the drugs within the porous framework. High-performance liquid chromatography revealed drug-loading efficiencies exceeding 80% for selected formulations. Release studies demonstrated a pronounced pH-dependent behavior, with significantly faster drug release under mildly acidic conditions that mimic the tumor microenvironment. The biological activity of selected formulations was evaluated in prostate-derived cell models (BPH, LNCaP, and DU145), revealing enhanced cytotoxicity toward cancer cells under acidic conditions compared to physiological pH. In particular, naproxen@ZIF-8 showed a marked reduction in DU145 cell viability at low concentrations and under mildly acidic conditions. These results highlight the potential of ZIF-8 as a versatile nanoplatform for the controlled and tumor-responsive delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs with an anticancer activity.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "University of L’Aquila , , via Vetoio (“A.C. De Meis” building) , Coppito, ,",
    "Consorzio INSTM UdR L’Aquila , via Vetoio (“A.C. De Meis” building) , Coppito, ,"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 11,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Nicola di Nicola"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mauro Di Vito Nolfi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Alice Vetrano"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jennifer Esposito"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Patrizio Campitelli"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Alessia Marino",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4934-2442"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Francesca Zazzeroni"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Leonardo Guidoni"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Marcello Crucianelli",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8523-0400"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Davide Vecchiotti",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1054-4565"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Andrea Lazzarini",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0404-6597"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/64gsp999v9517.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1021/acsomega.6c06939",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "64gsp999v9517",
  "issns": [
    "2470-1343"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/doi/10.1021/acsomega.6c06939/5455487/pH-Responsive-Delivery-of-Nonsteroidal-Anti",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1604|Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223116872",
  "pdf_url": "https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsomega.6c06939",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-21",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/64gsp999v9517.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:39Z",
      "native_id": "10.1021/acsomega.6c06939",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://pubs.acs.org/acsodf/article/doi/10.1021/acsomega.6c06939/5455487/pH-Responsive-Delivery-of-Nonsteroidal-Anti"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1604|Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications",
      "subfield": "inorganic"
    }
  ],
  "title": "pH-Responsive Delivery of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs by ZIF-8 Metal-Organic Frameworks for Cancer Treatment",
  "title_text": "pH-Responsive Delivery of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs by ZIF-8 Metal-Organic Frameworks for Cancer Treatment",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/64gsp999v9517",
  "venue": "ACS Omega",
  "versions": []
}