Green and facile synthesis of lignin/HKUST-1 as a novel hybrid biopolymer metal-organic-framework for a pH-controlled drug release system

This manuscript describes the synthesis and characterization of a hybrid polymer/HKUST-1 composite for oral drug delivery. A green, one-pot approach was employed to synthesize the modified metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) composite using alkali lignin as a novel pH-responsive biopolymer carrier for the simulated oral delivery system. Several analytical techniques, including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the chemical and crystalline structure of HKUST-1 and L/HKUST-1 composite. The drug loading capacity and drug-controlled release behavior of HKUST-1 and L/HKUST-1 were examined using ibuprofen (IBU) as an oral drug model. L/HKUST-1 composite demonstrated a pH-controlled drug release behavior by advancing the drug stability at low pHs such as the gastric medium and controlling drug release in the pH range of 6.8–7.4, similar to intestinal pH. The results suggest that the L/HKUST-1 composite is a promising candidate for oral medication delivery.