Recent Advances in Nanoscale Metal–Organic Frameworks as Nanozymes and Drug Carriers for Inflammatory Disease Therapy

Inflammation is a defense mechanism of the body in response to injury or infection. Under normal conditions, it can promote tissue repair and pathogen clearance. However, persistent inflammatory cell infiltration coupled with sustained release of inflammatory factors drives a cascade of pathological responses that impair tissue repair and contribute to the pathogenesis of multiple disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular pathologies, osteoarticular degeneration, and inflammatory bowel disease. Current clinical strategies for inflammatory disorders predominantly utilize nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroid therapies, particularly glucocorticoids. However, these agents exhibit critical limitations, including poor tissue specificity and dose-dependent complications such as gastrointestinal damage, hepatic/renal toxicity, and systemic adverse effects with prolonged administration. Nanoscale metal–organic frameworks (NMOFs) have emerged as multifunctional platforms for anti-inflammatory therapy, leveraging their programmable porosity, exceptional payload capacities, and enzymatic mimetic properties. Functionally, NMOFs demonstrate redox homeostasis regulation through catalytic conversion of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via superoxide dismutase-like and catalase-like activities, effectively mitigating oxidative stress at inflammatory loci. Concurrently, their nanoscale architecture enables precise delivery of encapsulated therapeutic agents through surface functionalization strategies, synergistically combining scavenging effects with targeted pharmacotherapy. This article initially delineates the pathogenic mechanisms of inflammatory disorders and NMOFs’ structural topology, emphasizing their biofunctional attributes and therapeutic superiority in precision medicine. Subsequently, we spotlight cutting-edge advancements in NMOFs as multimodal therapeutic platforms (nanozyme mimics and stimuli-responsive nanocarriers) for heterogeneous inflammatory pathologies, synergistically integrating catalytic ROS scavenging with spatiotemporal drug release, ultimately proposing mechanistic insights to accelerate future research translation.