Dynamics of polydisperse irreversible adsorption: A pharmacological example

Publication Year
2007

Type

Journal Article
Abstract

Many drug delivery systems suffer from undesirable interactions with the host immune system. It has been experimentally established that covalent attachment ( irreversible adsorption) of suitable macromolecules to the surface of the drug carrier can reduce such undesirable interactions. A fundamental understanding of the adsorption process is still lacking. In this paper, the classical random irreversible adsorption model is generalized to capture certain essential processes involved in pharmacological applications, allowing for macromolecules of different sizes, partial overlapping of the tails of macromolecules, and the influence of reactions with the solvent on the adsorption process. Working in one dimension, an integro-differential evolution equation for the adsorption process is derived, and the asymptotic behavior of the surface area covered and the number of molecules attached to the surface are studied. Finally, equation-free dynamic renormalization tools are applied to study the asymptotically self-similar behavior of the adsorption statistics.

Journal
Mathematical Models & Methods in Applied Sciences
Volume
17
Issue
5
Pages
759-781
Date Published
05/2007
ISBN
0218-2025
Short Title
Math. Models Meth. Appl. Sci.