Controlling plasma‐activated solution chemistry for targeted cancer cell death

Abstract

Plasma‐activated solutions (PAS) are attracting attention in biomedicine, however their complexity necessitates a greater understanding of both the plasma activation process and the selected starting solution. Here, five solutions, including deionized water, saline, PB, PBS, and RPMI 1640, were treated to investigate the physicochemical properties and anticancer effects. The findings show that the different solutions largely affected the gas–liquid interaction reactions and the color penetration distribution of H2O2 and NO2−. The anticancer effects are in the order of DI > PB≈saline> PBS > RPMI 1640, attributed to the important role of H2O2 and NO2− in inactivating cancer cells. This study provides insights into designing and applying PAS in practical anticancer therapy.

Recent Developments in the Use of Plasma in Medical Applications

“…Changes in plasma gas composition [117,119], plasma settings [118] or plasma sources [122] can dramatically alter the composition of the treated liquid, and this can give rise to changes in the physical properties of the activated liquid, which may in turn impact performance [123,124]. Other researchers continue to report on the significant impact of PAW and PAS on oncology, with numerous researchers describing the impact of varying the choice of liquid [125], liquid temperature [126] and plasma sources [123,[127][128][129][130], similar to those noted for antimicrobial applications. Of particular note were the benefits seen from combining plasma-treated solutions with the amino acid tyrosine.…”