REVIEW

Molecular structure and application of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) in tumor therapy

¹ Nanjing Key Laboratory of Optometric Materials and Technology, School of Materials and Engineering, Jinling Institute of Technology, Nanjing 211169, China
² School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
³ Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100022, China

^* Corresponding authors (emails: wangdingsheng@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn (Dingsheng Wang); dzh@njtech.edu.cn (Zhihui Dai))

Received: 10 August 2024
Revised: 2 October 2024
Accepted: 16 October 2024

Abstract

The field of nanomedicine has emerged as a vital component in cancer treatment modalities over the past decades. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) at the nanoscale have become a novel and promising category of biomaterials in the field of nanomedicine. Their distinctive properties, such as low density, exceptional porosity, crystalline structure, remarkable thermal stability, versatile functionality, and biocompatibility, contribute to their significant potential in cancer therapy applications. This review firstly discusses COFs with various morphologies in theranostic applications. The primary morphologies of COFs for tumors treatment can be categorized into four types: nanospheres, nanosheets, nano-rods/tubes and nanoparticles. Furthermore, we review recent research articles and systematically discuss recent advancements in COFs for chemotherapy, chemodynamic therapy, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy and combination therapy. In conclusion, we outline the current obstacles and potential future directions for this distinctive research area.