Porphyrin-based MOFs integrated with metal-phenolic networks: synergistic mechanisms for biomedical applications

Porphyrin-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) organize photosensitizing units within tunable porous architectures while providing accessible metal centers, thereby coupling photochemical conversion with catalysis, molecular delivery, and signal transduction. Their relatively static crystalline surfaces, however, can limit adaptation to dynamic biological interfaces. Metal-phenolic networks (MPNs), assembled through metal-polyphenol coordination, offer composition-dependent routes to modifying surface interactions, guest retention, and stimulus-responsive release. This review critically examines the integration of porphyrin-based MOFs with MPNs, emphasizing the evidence for synergistic mechanisms relevant to biomedical applications. Direct MOF-MPN evidence is distinguished from findings in related polyphenol interfaces and non-MPN comparators used to evaluate specific physicochemical processes. It examines the material modules, hierarchical assembly strategies, and synergistic mechanisms of these systems, emphasizing the roles of framework structure and interfacial regulation. Therapeutic applications are evaluated across cancer therapy, antibacterial therapy, and wound healing using application-specific evidence chains, while biosensing is discussed as a prospective direction informed by established porphyrin-based MOF sensing mechanisms and emerging MPN-enabled bioelectrochemical interfaces. Major translational challenges include interfacial validation, traceable in vivo fate, biosafety, and reproducible scale-up. Finally, a framework based on verifiable cross-interface causal relationships is proposed to strengthen mechanistic evaluation while supporting translation-oriented materials design.