Pain is considered as one of the major concerns throughout the world. About 20% of persons suffer from pain, and 10% are newly recognized with more severe chronic pain each year. Most of the persons take painkillers like ibuprofen for pain relief. Although, after four to six hours, the pain comes back and person again needs a painkiller. To counter these issues, scientists are now working on the idea to package the commonly used painkillers so it can persist for the longer duration. The latest research published in the journal "Molecular Pharmaceutics" stated new ways to deliver drug orally which otherwise can be delivered only by the intravenous route.

The scientists have recently focused on investigating MOFs (metal–organic frameworks) as an effective way of drug delivery.  MOFs are made up of metal ions linked to organic ligands. MOFs are a good carrier for drug delivery due to their porous and water-soluble nature. But, so far, few studies have evaluated if such MOFs could be used for oral delivery of drugs.

The investigators packed suitable concentrations of ibuprofen into bio-compatible MOFs with cyclodextrin and alkali metal cations. The test was conducted in mice, which showed positive results. MOFs reached to the bloodstream in about 10 to 20 minutes and lasted twofold as much as ibuprofen salts (the active ingredient of ibuprofen). With these findings, researchers conclude that MOFs can take a step ahead towards commercial development for distributing ibuprofen and potentially other drugs to provide relief from pain for a longer time.