On the possible mechanisms of the selective effect of a non‐equilibrium plasma on healthy and cancer cells in a physiological solution

Abstract

This paper discusses possible mechanisms for the selective effect of weakly ionized nonequilibrium plasma and currents in electrolyte on healthy and cancerous cells in physiological saline in a Petri dish. The interaction with the plasma source leads to a change in osmotic pressure, which affects the electromechanical properties of cell membranes in healthy and cancerous cells in different ways. The currents arising in the electrolyte charge the membranes of healthy and cancerous cells to a different potential difference due to the different values of the membranes' dielectric constant. We hypothesized that the dielectric permeability of cancer cell membranes is lower than that of healthy cells, as is the capacity of a unit of the membrane surface, and therefore, the additional potential difference acquired by the membrane through charging with currents induced in the intercellular electrolyte is greater in cancer cells. This can lead to electroporation of cancer cell membranes, resulting in their apoptosis, but does not affect healthy cells.

The effect of intercellular medium salinity on the dielectric constant of cell membranes and the excitation thresholds of the action potential

“…If, in addition, electric currents are induced in the solution, charging the membranes of these cells, then with the same additional charge on the membranes, the voltage on the membrane and the probability of its electroporation will be different for different cells. This, as was stated earlier in [20], may be one of the reasons for the observed selective effect of non-equilibrium plasma on healthy and diseased cells in a physiological solution in a Petri dish.…”