The interactions of medical nanoparticles with model cell membrane: A review of simulation studies

Abstract

Cell membrane is a thin semi-permeable membrane that surrounds the cytoplasm and protects the homeostasis of internal components of a cell, which is also involved in a variety of molecular biological processes such as cell adhesion, ion conductivity and cell signaling. Model cell membrane may provide an efficient alternative for studying these processes. Hence, studying the interactions between medical nanoparticles and model cell membrane may play an important role in evaluating the biosafety of nanoparticles and promoting the biomedical applications of nanoparticles. In this paper, we reviewed the recent progresses of simulation studies of the interactions between medical nanoparticles and model cell membrane. And on this basis, we proposed the future research directions considering the focuses of modem membrane biophysics.