Mesoporous nanoperforators as membranolytic agents via nano- and molecular-scale multi-patterning

Plasma membrane lysis is an effective anticancer strategy, which mostly relying on soluble molecular membranolytic agents. However, nanomaterial-based membranolytic agents has been largely unexplored. Herein, we introduce a mesoporous membranolytic nanoperforators (MLNPs) via a nano- and molecular-scale multi-patterning strategy, featuring a spiky surface topography (nanoscale patterning) and molecular-level periodicity in the spikes with a benzene-bridged organosilica composition (molecular-scale patterning), which cooperatively endow an intrinsic membranolytic activity. Computational modelling reveals a nanospike-mediated multivalent perforation behaviour, i.e., multiple spikes induce nonlinearly enlarged membrane pores compared to a single spike, and that benzene groups aligned parallelly to a phospholipid molecule show considerably higher binding energy than other alignments, underpinning the importance of molecular ordering in phospholipid extraction for membranolysis. Finally, the antitumour activity of MLNPs is demonstrated in female Balb/c mouse models. This work demonstrates assembly of organosilica based bioactive nanostructures, enabling new understandings on nano-/molecular patterns co-governed nano-bio interaction. Plasma membrane lysis is an effective anticancer strategy that mostly relies on soluble molecular membranolytic agents, while nanomaterial-based membranolytic agents have been unexplored. Herein, the authors report a nano- and molecular-scale multi-patterning strategy for fabricating mesoporous membranolytic nanoperforators with an intrinsic membranolytic activity.