Wrapping and Internalization of Nanoparticles by Lipid Bilayers: a Computer Simulation Study

Endocytosis is a basic pathway for nanoparticles to enter or leave cells. However, because of the complexity of the cell membrane, the mechanism of endocytosis is largely elusive. By dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), we investigate the wrapping and internalization processes of different particles (e.g., spheres and ellipsoids) by a lipid vesicle. It is found that rotation is possibly an important mechanism in the particle internalization process under a strong adhesive interaction, which can adjust the configuration of the nanoparticle to the lipid bilayer and facilitate the progress of the wrapping. Furthermore, the fission behaviour of the vesicle and the wrapped particle is also observed when the lipid domain is considered in the system. These simulation results give an insight into the nature of endocytosis.