Antifungal activity of water-stable copper-containing metal–organic frameworks

Although metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) or porous coordination polymers have been widely studied, their antimicrobial activities have not yet been fully investigated. In this work, antifungal activity of copper-based benzene-tricarboxylate MOF (Cu-BTC MOF), which is water stable and industrially interesting, is investigated against Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae and Fusarium oxysporum. The Cu-BTC MOF can effectively inhibit the growth rate of C. albicans and remarkably inhibit the spore growth of A. niger, A. oryzae and F. oxysporum. This finding shows the potential of using Cu-BTC MOF as a strong biocidal material against representative yeasts and moulds that are commonly found in the food and agricultural industries.

尽管金属有机框架（metal-organic frameworks, MOFs）或称多孔配位聚合物已得到广泛研究，但针对其抗菌活性的探究仍有待充分展开。本研究针对兼具水稳定性与工业应用潜力的铜基苯三羧酸金属有机框架（Cu-BTC MOF）的抗真菌活性展开探究，受试菌株包括白色念珠菌（Candida albicans）、黑曲霉（Aspergillus niger）、米曲霉（Aspergillus oryzae）与尖孢镰刀菌（Fusarium oxysporum）。该Cu-BTC MOF可有效抑制白色念珠菌的生长速率，并对黑曲霉、米曲霉及尖孢镰刀菌的孢子生长具有显著抑制效果。本研究结果表明，Cu-BTC MOF作为强效杀菌材料，在抑制食品与农业行业常见的典型酵母菌及霉菌方面具有应用潜力。