Accurate construction of cell membrane biomimetic magnetic fluorescent carbon nanoplatform via layer-by-layer assembly for targeted capture of drug leads

Abstract

Background

As an effective source of novel drug discovery, natural products have important contributions in the treatment of various diseases. Pathological cell membrane biomimetic modified magnetic carbon nano-platform shows great potential in targeted screening of bioactive ingredients. Meanwhile, the introduction of cellular imaging technology enables the platform to achieve important advantages in real-time identification of pharmacological activities of active ingredients.

Results

Breast cancer cell membrane biomimetic composites (CMMFCNTs) were accurately constructed via layer-by-layer assembly and utilized as a drug discovery platform to screen potential anti-cancer ingredients from Taraxacum mongolicum. Comprehensive characterization techniques indicated that the synthesized CMMFCNTs possessed excellent magnetic properties (saturation magnetization: 42.51 emu·g⁻¹), high adsorption capacity (17.53 μg mg⁻¹), and were well-characterized by spectroscopic and morphological techniques. Finally, four potential anti-cancer components: phlorizin, loganin, diosmetin, and hexahydrocurcumin were accurately captured. Molecular docking demonstrated strong binding between these compounds and cell membrane receptors (P-gp, HER2, ERα), supported by favorable binding energies (range: −7.5 to −9.1 kcal∙mol⁻¹). Moreover, their inhibitory effects on the proliferation of breast cancer cells were preliminarily verified by cell imaging experiments and wound scratch assay.

Significance

Although various applications of cell membrane biomimetic screening have been reported in previous studies, cell imaging technology has been used less frequently in it. In addition, this study also explored the inter-binding effect of the screened active ingredients with breast cancer cell membrane-associated receptors to further validate the potential pharmacological effects of the screened active ingredients. In conclusion, magnetic fluorescent carbon nanoplatforms based on pathological cell membrane mimicry show great promise for active ingredients screening in complex matrices, facilitating natural product-based development.