Long-lived anomalous thermal diffusion induced by elastic cell membranes on nearby particles

TL;DR

This paper presents an analytical theory showing that elastic cell membranes induce anomalous, subdiffusive behavior in nearby particles, extending residence times and potentially affecting biological processes.

Contribution

It introduces a fully analytical model demonstrating how membrane elasticity causes anomalous diffusion, a novel insight into particle-membrane interactions.

Findings

Transient subdiffusive regime lasts beyond 10 ms

Membrane elasticity can increase residence times by up to 50%

Analytical predictions are validated by numerical simulations

Abstract

The physical approach of a small particle (virus, medical drug) to the cell membrane represents the crucial first step before active internalization and is governed by thermal diffusion. Using a fully analytical theory we show that the stretching and bending of the elastic membrane by the approaching particle induces a memory in the system which leads to anomalous diffusion, even though the particle is immersed in a purely Newtonian liquid. For typical cell membranes the transient subdiffusive regime extends beyond 10 ms and can enhance residence times and possibly binding rates up to 50\%. Our analytical predictions are validated by numerical simulations.