Ultrasonic-Assisted Synthesis of Fe–BTC–PEG Metal–Organic Complex: An Effective and Safety Nanocarrier for Anticancer Drug Delivery

[Image: see text] The porous metal–organic complexes are emerging as novel carriers for effective and safe delivery of drugs for cancer treatment, minimizing the side effect of drug overuse during cancer treatment. This study fabricated the Fe–BTC–PEG metal–organic complex from Fe ions, trimesic acid, and poly(ethylene glycol) as precursors using an ultrasonic-assisted method. The morphology and crystallinity of the resultant complex were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. FTIR spectroscopy was employed to investigate the functional groups on the surface of the Fe–BTC–PEG complex. The result showed that the prepared Fe–BTC–PEG complex was in particle form with low crystallinity and diameter ranging from 100 to 200 nm. The obtained Fe–BTC–PEG complex exhibited a high loading capacity for the 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) anticancer drug with a maximal capacity of 364 mg/g. The releasing behavior of 5-fluorouracil from the 5-FU-loaded Fe–BTC–PEG complex was studied. Notably, the acute oral toxicity of the Fe–BTC–PEG metal–organic complex was also carried out to evaluate the safety of the material in practical application.