Application of a plasma-jet for skin antisepsis: analysis of the thermal action of the plasma by laser scanning microscopy

Abstract

Recently, it was reported that a plasma-jet could be efficiently applied for the antisepsis of wounds. In this case, the discharge in an argon gas stream was used to produce a so-called "cold plasma" on the skin surface. The thermal action of the plasma on the skin was investigated in the present study by means of laser scanning microscopy (LSM) and by histological analysis. Consequently, the plasma beam was moved with a definite velocity at an optimal distance over the skin surface. The structural changes of the tissue were analyzed. It was found by LSM that a thermal damage could be detected only in the upper cell layers of the stratum corneum (SC) at moving velocities of the plasma beam, usually applied in clinical practice. Deeper parts of the SC were not damaged. The structural changes were so superficial that they could be detected only by LSM but not by analysis of the histological sections.Plasma-jet under working conditions

Plasmas meet nanoparticles—where synergies can advance the frontier of medicine

“…Such low-temperature plasmas are commonly known as cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) and have been shown to be capable of effectively inactivating bacteria, fungi and virus, inducing apoptosis in cancer cells, and stimulating proliferation of mammalian cells, all in a dose-dependent fashion [52] [53]. Today, CAPs are increasingly used in an impressive array of healthcare applications such as blood coagulation [58], skin disinfection [58] [59] and wound disinfection [60], wound healing [61], sterilisation of surgical instruments and medical devices [62], cancer therapy [63], and food decontamination [64]- [66]. Their potentials for healthcare are profound and their clinical successes so far are exceptionally encouraging [67][68], thus fuelling a rapid expansion of research activities in an emerging but now highly visible field known as plasma medicine.…”

New Strategies for Preoperative Skin Antisepsis

“…Nevertheless, risk assessment studies of TTP-induced antisepsis have demonstrated that the TTP-related increase in temperature and the UV radiation do not represent major risks for humans during TTP treatment [56,57]. Most of the TTP-related effects target the upper corneal layers of the epidermis without influencing the rest of the skin, as shown by laser scanning microscopy (LSM) and resonance Raman spectrometry [43].…”

State of the art in medical applications using non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma

“…Since the initial reports that described nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma, many plasma sources have been developed for medical, agricultural, and biological uses (Laroussi 1996;Fridman et al 2008;Isbary et al 2011;von Woedtke et al 2013). The medical applications of plasma include sterilization (Laroussi 1996;Graham and Mielnik 1997;Adler et al 1998;Iseki et al 2010), wound healing (Awakowicz et al 2009;Lademann et al 2010;Isbary et al 2012;Schmidt et al 2013;von Woedtke et al 2013;), blood coagulation (Kalghatgi et al 2007;Miyamoto et al 2016), and cancer treatments (Kieft et al 2004;Vandamme et al 2010;Keidar et al 2011;Jürgen Schlegel and Boxhammer 2013;Tanaka et al 2014b). Plasma medical science is a novel academic field that aims to elucidate the mechanisms of physiological outputs induced by plasma, including diagnosis using plasma, and comprehend the interactions between plasma and gas, liquids, and living bodies.…”