Metal-organic frameworks as protective matrices for peptide therapeutics

An increasing number of peptide drugs have been identified or synthesized in recent decades, and they have played an important role in disease treatments and scientific research. Peptide drugs have become emerging candidates in the pharmaceutical market, despite some inherent disadvantages that have hindered their further development (i.e., they are chemically and physically unstable). Considering that cold-storage conditions are not easily accessible, particularly in developing countries, it remains a significant challenge to find a facile way to enhance the stability of peptide drugs. In this study, we developed an efficient and facile strategy to provide peptide drugs a strong protection against harsh conditions by biomineralizing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) around the peptide drugs. Our results showed that the peptides released from MOFs retained their structures and full biological activities after being exposed to high temperatures, repeated freeze-thaw cycles and enzyme degradation. This study provides an alternative method for the storage of biopharmaceuticals and for enhancing their stability under ambient conditions.