Abstract
Detoxification treatments such as toxin-targeted anti-virulence therapy1, 2 offer ways to cleanse the body of virulence factors that are caused by bacterial infections, venomous injuries, and biological weaponry. Because existing detoxification platforms such as antisera3, monoclonal antibodies4, small-molecule inhibitors5, 6, and molecularly imprinted polymers7 act by targeting the molecular structures of the toxins, customized treatments are required for different diseases. Here we show a biomimetic toxin nanosponge that functions as a toxin decoy in vivo. The nanosponge, which consists of a polymeric nanoparticle core surrounded by red blood cell membranes, absorbs membrane-damaging toxins and diverts them away from their cellular targets. In a mouse model, the nanosponges markedly reduce the toxicity of staphylococcal alpha-hemolysin (α-toxin) and thus improve the survival rate of toxin-challenged mice. This biologically inspired toxin nanosponge presents a detoxification treatment that can potentially treat a variety of injuries and diseases caused by pore-forming toxins.
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