Metal-organic frameworks nanoswitch: Toward photo-controllable endo/lysosomal rupture and release for enhanced cancer RNA interference

Endo/lysosomal escape and gene release are two critical bottlenecks in gene delivery. Herein, a novel photo-controllable metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) nanoswitch is rationally designed for enhancing small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery. One single laser triggers the “off-to-on” switching of MOFs nanocomplexes, inducing significant siRNA release accompanied by rapid MOFs dissociation into protonatable 2-methylimidazalo and osmotic rupturing Zn2+ ions, which cooperatively contribute to remarkable endo/lysosomal rupture (∼ 90%). The simultaneous endo/lysosomal rupture and release enable a high spatio-temporal control on RNA interference for effective cancer therapy. Notably, the “off-to-on” switching also activates fluorescence recovery for real-time monitoring siRNA delivery. The nanoswitch could easily be extended to deliver other therapeutic agents (e.g., DNA, protein, anticancer drug) for overcoming endo/lysosomal entrapment.