Degradation kinetic study of ZIF-8 microcrystals with and without the presence of lactic acid.

The zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-8 (Zn(mim), mim = 2-methylimidazolate) has recently been proposed as a drug delivery platform for anticancer therapy based on its capability of decomposing in acidic media. The concept presumes a targeted release of encapsulated drug molecules in the vicinity of tumor tissues that typically produce secretions with elevated acidity. Due to challenges of and examination, many studies have addressed the kinetics of ZIF-8 decomposition and subsequent drug release in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) with adjusted acidity.