Interaction of Trastuzumab with biomembrane models at air-water interfaces mimicking cancer cell surfaces

Trastuzumab (Tmab) is a monoclonal antibody administered as targeted therapy for HER2-positive breast cancer whose molecular interactions at the HER2 receptor microenvironment are not completely clarified yet. This paper describes the influence of Tmab in the molecular organization of films of biological-relevant molecules at the air water interface. For that, we spread components of tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cells directly on the air-water interface. The physicochemical properties of the films were investigated with surface pressure-area isotherms and Brewster angle microscopy, and distinction between the cellular lines with higher or lower amount of HER2 could be detected based on the physicochemical properties of the interfacial films. The systems organized at the air-water interface were transferred to solid supports as Langmuir-Blodgett films and the nano-scale morphology investigated with atomic force microscopy. The overall results related to Tmab interacting with the films lead to the conclusion that Tmab tends to condense rich-HER2 films, causing irregular dimerization of the receptor protein, changing the membrane topography of the films, with formation of phases with different levels of reflectivity and aggregation morphology, and finally revealing that the interaction of the antibody with proteo-lipidic biointerfaces is modulated by the film composition. We believe that novel perspectives concerning the molecular interactions in the plasma membrane microenvironment through Langmuir monolayers can be obtained from this work in order to enhance the Tmab-based cancer therapy.