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ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Dual-functional metal–organic framework of strontium fumarate for biomedical polymeric materials in bone tissue engineering

Ramida Rattanakam1,2* ,  Pimnapas Trewarapat1 ,  Anchalee Sanyasaen1 ,  Patchara Sathong1 ,  Thomas M. Roseveare3 ,  Jutakan Thonglam4 ,  Jirut Meesane4*
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1 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
2 Unit of Advanced Porous Materials for One Health Integrations, Special Research Incubator Unit, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
3 Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
4 Department of Biomedical Science and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand
BMT, 186 https://doi.org/10.12336/bmt.25.00186
Submitted: 17 September 2025 | Revised: 29 May 2026 | Accepted: 12 June 2026 | Published: 20 July 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). Licensee Biomaterials Translational, USA. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en)
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Abstract

This study developed a metal–organic framework (MOF), specifically a strontium-based MOF (Sr-MOF), with dual nucleating and biological functions to enhance osteoblast responses for biomaterial applications. Sr-MOFs were prepared by a solvothermal approach and characterized using X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. The morphology of the Sr-MOF was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Subsequently, Sr-MOFs were mixed with polycaprolactone (PCL). The PCL-incorporated Sr-MOFs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and SEM. Strontium ion release was quantified using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The osteoblast response, including cellular proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and calcium deposition, was assessed in vitro. The results demonstrated that Sr-MOF exhibited nucleating activity, thereby improving crystallinity and thermal stability. The PCL-incorporated Sr-MOF showed sustained release of strontium ions and enhanced osteoblast responses, including cellular proliferation, ALP activity, and calcium deposition. The dual-functional Sr-MOF exhibited optimized polymer processability and biological activity, supporting biomedical applications for osteoporosis treatment.

Keywords
Biomedical polymeric materials
Bone tissue engineering
Metal–organic framework
Osteoporosis
Funding
This work was supported by the Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute (FF[KU-SRIU]11.67). This research is a partial project of REC.67-342-38-2.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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