Kinetics of the formation of a protein corona around nanoparticles

Interaction of metal or oxide nanoparticles (NPs) with biological soft matter is one of the central phenomena in basic and applied biology-oriented nanoscience. Often, this interaction includes adsorption of suspended proteins on the NP surface, resulting in the formation of the protein corona around NPs. Structurally, the corona contains a "hard" monolayer shell directly contacting a NP and a more distant weakly associated "soft" shell. Chemically, the corona is typically composed of a mixture of distinct proteins. The corresponding experimental and theoretical studies have already clarified many aspects of the corona formation. The process is, however, complex, and its understanding is still incomplete. Herein, we present a kinetic mean-field model of the formation of the "hard" corona with emphasis on the role of (i) protein-diffusion limitations and (ii) interplay between competitive adsorption of distinct proteins and irreversible reconfiguration of their native structure. The former factor is demonstrated to be significant only in the very beginning of the corona formation. The latter factor is predicted to be more important. It may determine the composition of the corona on the time scales comparable or longer than a few hours.