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 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-haemolysin (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. A polymeric nanoparticle wrapped in natural membranes of red blood cells can absorb certain toxins and divert them from their cellular targets, offering a biologically inspired detoxification platform.