10. Biological role of surface phenomena, its significance in medicine and in biology.

In biology, surface phenomena are important primarily in relation to the cellular, subcellular, and molecular levels of organization of living systems. Various biological membranes separate the cell from its environment and secure its micro-heterogeneity. Vital processes take place on the membranes of cells and of such intracellular organelles as mitochondria and plastids. These processes include the reception of such exogenous and endogenous biologically active substances as hormones, mediators, antigens and pheromones; enzymatic catalysis (many enzymes exist within membranes, forming multi-enzymatic catalytic aggregates); the transformation of chemical energy into osmotic action; and oxidative phosphorylation, that is, the linking of oxidation processes with the accumulation of energy in macro compounds.