Coordination chemistry, pore engineering, and metal-node reactivity of MOFs for wound healing

Chronic wounds present a complex pathological microenvironment characterized by bacterial infection, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), persistent inflammation, and impaired tissue regeneration. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising wound-healing materials because their coordination structures, porous architectures, and metal nodes can be chemically programmed to respond to pathological cues. This Frontier highlights three inorganic-chemistry principles governing MOF-mediated wound repair: coordination bond dynamics, pore-confined delivery, and metal-node reactivity. We discuss how acidity, redox-active species, competing ions, and protein-rich exudates regulate framework evolution and therapeutic ion release; how pore engineering enables host-guest matching and stimuli-gated delivery; and how metal nodes and heterostructures mediate ROS generation or scavenging. Key challenges include evaluating framework evolution in realistic wound fluids, distinguishing intrapore loading from surface adsorption, achieving stage-specific redox regulation, and ensuring safe degradation and metal-ion release.