In Situ Growth of Biodegradable Chitosan‐Encapsulated Zeolite‐Structured MOFs: A Potential Therapeutic Drug for Triple‐Negative Breast Cancer

The current conventional cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, increase systemic toxicity, and the lack of selectivity and multidrug resistance were increasing limitations, which leads to the development of advanced nanomedicine. In addition to that, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are crystalline porous materials with exceptional physicochemical properties, making them suitable candidates for a variety of applications, including drug design and deliveries. By integrating ZIFs with polymeric materials, cutting‐edge functional materials with high biological application potential can be developed. In this study, biopolymer chitosan (CS)encapsulated ZIF‐8 and ZIF‐67 nanocomposites have been prepared by a simple in- situ chemical method. The physical and chemical properties of nanocomposites have been analyzed. XRD confirms the presence of ZIF‐8 and ZIF‐67 in the composites and the purity of the material. The characteristic vibrations of Zn‐N (ZIF‐8) and Co–N (ZIF‐67) have been presented in both pristine and composites. Moreover, the composites show the polyhedral morphology, which was confirmed by FE‐SEM analysis. Antimicrobial activity revealed that CS@ZIF composites significantly inhibit the microbial population at the low concentration when compared to their individual components. Cytotoxicity studies using triple‐negative breast cancer cells MDA‐MB‐231 confirm that the CS@ZIF‐8and CS@ZIF‐67 nanocomposites potentially induce cell death at lower concentrations, with IC 50 values below 60 μg/mL. The synergistic effects of chitosan and ZIFs effectively suppress the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and cancer cells.