Theoretical modelling of plasma protein adsorption/ desorption processes onto solid surfaces

Abstract

Experimental data from particle electrophoretic measurements of polymer particles have been used for modelling competitive protein adsorption. It could be demonstrated that protein adsorption onto a solid surface is a two-step process: firstly fast reversible adsorption and, secondly, irreversible coupling at the adsorption centres dependent on contact time. The extent of protein competition is influenced by a characteristic time-dependence of the adsorption process. Analysis of the experimental findings results in two models whose corresponding systems of kinetic equations were solved. Both suggested models are based upon relatively simple mechanisms: (a) the parallel reaction; and (b) the exchange reaction. It has been shown that in our experiments a classical exchange process for describing competitive protein adsorption can be very probably supposed.

Keywords:

• Protein adsorption
• kinetics
• competition
• particle electrophoresis