Department of Materials Chemistry, Adsorption and Catalysis, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Gagarina 7, 87-100 Toruń, Poland.
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Aug 11;24(16):12667. doi: 10.3390/ijms241612667.
Non-thermal plasma (NTP) application in medicine is a dynamically developing interdisciplinary field. Despite the fact that basics of the plasma phenomenon have been known since the 19th century, growing scientific attention has been paid in recent years to the use of plasma in medicine. Three most important plasma-based effects are pivotal for medical applications: (i) inactivation of a broad spectrum of microorganisms, (ii) stimulation of cell proliferation and angiogenesis with lower plasma treatment intensity, and (iii) inactivation of cells by initialization of cell death with higher plasma intensity. In this review, we explain the underlying chemical processes and reactive species involvement during NTP in human (or animal) tissues, as well as in bacteria inactivation, which leads to sterilization and indirectly supports wound healing. In addition, plasma-mediated modifications of medical surfaces, such as surgical instruments or implants, are described. This review focuses on the existing knowledge on NTP-based in vitro and in vivo studies and highlights potential opportunities for the development of novel therapeutic methods. A full understanding of the NTP mechanisms of action is urgently needed for the further development of modern plasma-based medicine.
非热等离子体（NTP）在医学中的应用是一个快速发展的跨学科领域。尽管等离子体现象的基础知识在 19 世纪就已为人所知，但近年来，科学界越来越关注等离子体在医学中的应用。三种最重要的基于等离子体的效应对于医学应用至关重要：（i）广谱微生物的失活，（ii）在较低的等离子体处理强度下刺激细胞增殖和血管生成，以及（iii）通过更高的等离子体强度引发细胞死亡来使细胞失活。在这篇综述中，我们解释了 NTP 在人体（或动物）组织中以及在细菌失活过程中的化学过程和反应性物质的参与，这导致了灭菌，并间接地支持了伤口愈合。此外，还描述了等离子体介导的医疗表面（如手术器械或植入物）的修饰。本综述重点介绍了基于 NTP 的体外和体内研究的现有知识，并强调了开发新型治疗方法的潜在机会。为了进一步发展现代基于等离子体的医学，迫切需要全面了解 NTP 的作用机制。
