Effect of cold atmospheric plasma induced electric field on aquaporin-5 structure and ROS transport

Abstract

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment has been believed to be a promising anticancer technology. Aquaporins (AQPs) are inferred as a main but unverified route of ROSs transport into cancer cells. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to assess the effect of CAP-induced electric field on the AQP5-biolayer combination, the AQP5 structure, and the ROS distribution. Results show that the electric field can weaken the AQP5-biolayer combination, and narrow the radius of AQP5 water pores by changing the distance of key residues. From the perspective of ROS, the electric field sharply changes the free energy profiles of polarized ROSs but hardly affects the distribution of hydrophilic ROSs. This work provides a microscopic perspective of the CAP anticancer mechanism and puts forward the electric field as a new factor in CAP-related research.