Fibrinogen adsorption on biomaterials--a numerical study

A model for the adsorption of fibrinogen or, in general, non-globular shaped proteins on solid surfaces are presented. Two-dimensional cellular automata simulations of the adsorption of fibrinogen on two different surfaces were performed. The model includes mass transfer toward the surface, adsorption of fibrinogen molecules, and surface diffusion mechanisms for both fibrinogen molecules and clusters. We show that the major physical processes are represented in the recent model. Particularly, the influence of the surface hydrophobicity on the behavior of fibrinogen. Atomic force microscopy images of fibrinogen adsorption on Si model surfaces with different hydrophobicity are compared to the results.