Water-Driven Oxygen and Nitric Oxide Release from Porphyrin- and Mn-Based Metal–Organic Framework Enables Accelerated Acute Wound Healing

Medical gases, particularly oxygen and nitric oxide (NO), have attracted significant interest in clinical applications, notably wound healing, due to their role in enhancing cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and collagen deposition. However, the use of these gases has been limited by challenges such as inefficient gas delivery and potential toxicity to normal tissues. In this study, we elucidate a feasible approach using a porphyrin-based metal-organic framework (MOF), a unique material that shows immense potential for dual-gas-assisted wound healing. The MOF nanorods, meticulously designed, contain catalytically active manganese clusters, enabling spontaneous water decomposition and subsequent oxygen generation upon water exposure. The MOF incorporates Fe-chelated porphyrins, which not only serve as ligands connecting the manganese clusters but also exhibit a strong affinity with NO gas for the successful delivery of NO. The loaded NO, tethered to the MOF, can be released in a water environment. We employed a wound-healing assay to evaluate the efficacy of the NO-loaded MOF. After adding the MOF to fibroblast cell culture for O₂ and NO supply, significantly accelerated migration and proliferation were obtained, providing strong evidence for the potential of the MOF in water-driven dual-gas therapy for wound care.