Mitochondrial membrane fragments from U-87 MG (U87MG) and HEK-293 cells were successfully immobilized on to Immobilized Artificial Membrane (IAM) chromatographic support and surface of activated open tubular (OT) silica capillary resulting in mitochondrial membrane affinity chromatography (MMAC) columns. Translocator protein (TSPO), located in mitochondrial outer membrane as well as sulfonylurea and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) receptors, localized to the inner membrane, were characterized. Frontal displacement experiments with multiple concentrations of dipyridamole (DIPY) and PK-11195 were run on MMAC-(U87MG) column and the binding affinities (Kd) determined were 1.08 ± 1.49 and 0.0086 ± 0.0006 μM respectively, which was consistent with previously reported values. Further, binding affinities (Ki) for DIPY binding site were determined for TSPO ligands, PK-11195, mesoporphyrin IX, protoporphyrin IX and rotenone. Additionally, the relative ranking of these TSPO ligands based on single displacement studies using DIPY as marker on MMAC-(U87MG) was consistent with the obtained Ki values. The immobilization of mitochondrial membrane fragments was also confirmed by confocal microscopy.

Glioblastoma multiforme is an aggressive form of human astrocytoma, with poor prognosis due to multi-drug resistance to a number of anticancer drugs. The observed multi-drug resistance is primarily due to the efflux activity of ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) efflux transporters such as Pgp, MRP1 and BCRP. The expression of these transporters has been demonstrated in nuclear and cellular membranes of the LN-229 human glioblastoma cell line. Nuclear membrane and cellular membrane fragments from LN229 cells were immobilized on the IAM stationary phase to create nuclear and cellular membrane affinity chromatography columns, (NMAC(LN229)) and (CMAC(LN229)), respectively. Pgp, MRP1and BCRP transporters co-immobilized on both columns was characterized and compared by establishing the binding affinities for estrone-3-sulfate (3.8 vs 3.7μM), verapamil (0.6 vs 0.7μM) and prazosin (0.099 vs 0.033μM) on each column and no significant differences were observed. Since the marker ligands had overlapping selectivities, the selective characterization of each transporter was carried out by saturation of the binding sites of the non-targeted transporters. The addition of verapamil (Pgp and MRP1 substrate) to the mobile phase allowed the comparative screening of 8 compounds at the nuclear and cellular BCRP using etoposide as the marker ligand. AZT increased the retention of etoposide (+15%), a positive allosteric interaction, on the CMAC(LN229) column and decreased it (−5%) on the NMAC(LN229), while the opposite effect was produced by rhodamine. The results indicate that there are differences between the cellular and nuclear membrane expressed BCRP and that NMAC and CMAC columns can be used to probe these differences.