Magnetosome membranes: A promising biogenic nanomodel for drug-membrane interaction studies

Membrane models are available for the in vitro investigation of drug-membrane interactions. One potential new model for this purpose is bacterial magnetosomes, nanometric magnetic crystals surrounded by a protein-rich bilayer isolated from magnetotactic bacteria. In this work, we evaluated the relationship between the hydrophobicity of three drugs with different partition coefficients, and their adsorption into the magnetosome membrane. Adsorption values showed a clear positive trend with the partition coefficients (log P), suggesting that membrane association increases with compound lipophilicity. We also compared loading capacities between the magnetosomes of prismatic and cuboctahedral morphologies. Despite their larger volume and the smaller specific area, prismatic magnetosomes could adsorb a 1.6 times greater concentration of fluorescent-labeled poly- l -lysine. Different protein denaturation protocols were also tested to investigate their effects on membrane functionalization. In this brief communication, we propose a novel and facile utilization of magnetosomes as low-cost and magnetically responsive nanotools for drug characterization. • Magnetosomes are proposed as an innovative in vitro model for drug–membrane interaction studies. • A strong correlation (R 2 > 0.95) was observed between drug partition coefficients and adsorption on magnetosome membranes. • Prismatic magnetosomes showed 1.6× higher adsorption of fluorescent poly- l -lysine compared to cuboctahedral ones, despite lower surface area. • Different protein denaturation methods were tested to tailor membrane surface properties for functionalization. • Magnetosomes are presented as low-cost, magnetically responsive, and bio-derived nanotools for drug delivery and interaction studies.