Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science , George Washington University , Washington, D.C. 20052 , United States.
Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology , George Washington University Medical Center , Washington, D.C. 20052 , United States.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2018 Mar 21;10(11):9269-9279. doi: 10.1021/acsami.7b18653. Epub 2018 Mar 6.
Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), an ionized gas operated at near-ambient temperatures, has been introduced as a new therapeutic opportunity for treating cancers. The effectiveness of the therapy has been linked to CAP-generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species such as hydrogen peroxide and nitrite. In this study, we monitor in real-time cancer cell response to CAP over the course of 48 h. The results demonstrate a correlation between cell viability, exposure time (30, 60, 90, and 180 s), and discharge voltage (3.16 and 3.71 kV), while stressing the likely therapeutic role of plasma-generated reactive species. A 30-60 s increase in CAP exposure time and/or a discharge voltage adjustment from 3.16 to 3.71 kV is consistently accompanied by a significant reduction in cell viability. Comparably, levels of hydrogen peroxide and nitrite vary as a function of voltage with elevated levels detected at the highest tested voltage condition of 3.71 kV. CAP ultimately initiates a reduction in cell viability and triggers apoptosis via damage to the mitochondrial membrane, while also deregulating protein synthesis. The findings presented in this study are discussed in the context of facilitating the development of an adaptive CAP platform which could improve treatment outcomes.
冷等离体子体（CAP），一种在近环境温度下工作的电离气体，已被引入作为治疗癌症的新治疗机会。该疗法的有效性与 CAP 产生的活性氧和氮物种有关，如过氧化氢和亚硝酸盐。在这项研究中，我们实时监测癌症细胞对 CAP 的反应，持续 48 小时。结果表明细胞活力与暴露时间（30、60、90 和 180 秒）和放电电压（3.16 和 3.71 kV）之间存在相关性，同时强调了等离子体产生的活性物质的可能治疗作用。CAP 暴露时间增加 30-60 秒和/或放电电压从 3.16 调整到 3.71 kV，始终伴随着细胞活力的显著降低。相比之下，过氧化氢和亚硝酸盐的水平随电压而变化，在测试的最高电压条件 3.71 kV 下检测到较高的水平。CAP 通过对线粒体膜的损伤最终导致细胞活力降低并引发细胞凋亡，同时还使蛋白质合成失调。本研究中的发现将在促进自适应 CAP 平台发展的背景下进行讨论，该平台可改善治疗效果。
