Supramolecular Assembly of Proteoliposomes Containing Photosensitizers Regulating Energy Synthesis

We report that a biomimetic energy metabolism system can be constructed by integrating adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase and photosensitizer, and chlorin e6 (Ce6), into the hydrophobic region of the lipid bilayer in proteoliposomes through controllable supramolecular assembly. It is found that under light illumination, the existence of Ce6 obviously inhibits the ATP synthesis. The biochemical and spectroscopic analyses reveal that the generated heat and mechanical perturbation originated from photoexcited Ce6 may disrupt the phospholipid bilayer membrane, leading to the collapse of the proton gradient. These effects collectively destabilize the system and suppress ATP production. Additional cellular experiments provided evidence for the intervention of Ce6 on the amount of ATP in cells. This finding suggests that a photosensitizer can interfere with the energy synthesis of the system by disrupting the proton gradient to reduce the rotation of ATP synthase. Such a design and the mechanistic investigation may provide a possible foresight that photosensitizers are not only used in a photodynamic therapy system, but can also be considered for regulating diseases related to energy metabolism.