Work

Insight into black phosphorus interactions with supported lipid bilayers

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: HYPOTHESIS: Nanomaterials have gained significant attention due to their unique properties and potential applications in various biomedical fields, including immediate or targeted drug delivery for wound treatment, cancers, and microbial infections, as well as advancements in diagnostic techniques and tissue engineering. They can also penetrate biological barriers, such as lipid bilayers, offering potential for enhanced drug delivery systems. However, understanding nanomaterial-biomembrane interactions is critical to optimize their design for efficient and safe therapeutic applications. We hypothesize that liquid exfoliated black phosphorus (BP) disrupts lipid bilayers, leading to altered membrane integrity and dynamics, which could influence its potential as an antimicrobial agent or drug delivery vehicle. EXPERIMENTS: To test this hypothesis, we investigated the interaction between BP flakes and 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC) lipid bilayers using atomic force microscopy (AFM), force spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. AFM provided topographical and force measurements, while MD simulations offered atomistic insights into the interaction mechanisms. FINDINGS: AFM imaging and force measurements revealed significant destabilization of the lipid bilayer, with a reduction in rupture force by more than half upon interaction with BP flakes. MD simulations corroborated these results, showing penetration and disruption of the lipid bilayer by BP. These findings enhance our understanding of nanomaterial-membrane interactions and demonstrate BP's potential for developing advanced nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems and antimicrobial therapies.

Source: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2025.137686