Nanomaterial biointerfacing via mitochondrial membrane coating for targeted detoxification and molecular detection

Summary

This study expands membrane-coating nanotechnology from whole-cell plasma membranes to an intracellular organelle interface. Outer mitochondrial membrane isolated from mouse liver was fused onto polymeric nanoparticles and field-effect transistors. The nanoparticle version exploited the membrane's affinity for ABT-263, a Bcl-2 inhibitor that acts at mitochondria. By binding the drug, the coated particles protected cultured cells from ABT-263-induced apoptosis and reduced drug-associated thrombocytopenia in vivo, demonstrating a detoxification function. In parallel, mitochondrial-membrane-coated transistors detected and distinguished an anti-Bcl-2 antibody from small-molecule agonists, showing that the same natural interface could support molecular sensing. The principal finding is that organelle membranes retain useful target interactions after transfer to both particulate and electronic substrates. This creates two distinct forms of biointerfacing: a decoy that intercepts a mitochondrially active compound and a detector that converts membrane binding into a signal. The significance is a broader source library for biomimetic engineering beyond cell surfaces. The abstract does not report analytical performance in detail, long-term safety, selectivity across wider analyte panels, or whether membranes from other organelles behave similarly.