The Role of Heterogeneous Nucleation in the Activation of Blood Cells

The processes of receptors clusterization on the surface of blood cells are considered in the framework of nucleation theory. In the absence of ligands, the characteristic time of homogeneous nucleation during receptors clusterization was assumed to be much longer than the cell life. Varying the constants of the kinetics of bond formation and breaking during receptor clustering, it was possible to describe the activation conditions experimentally observed for several types of blood cells. It was shown that the characteristic time of heterogeneous nucleation leading to the receptors clusterization in the presence of exogenous ligands can be less than one minute. Parametric diagrams showing the effect of several ligands examined on the receptor system are constructed. Possible clinical implications of the results are discussed.