Abstract
Cold atmospheric plasma has great potential for use in modern medicine. It has been used in the clinical treatment of skin diseases and chronic wounds, and in laboratory settings it has shown effects on selective decrease in tumour-cell viability, reduced tumour mass in animal models and stem-cell proliferation. Many researchers are currently focusing on its application to internal structures and the use of plasma-activated liquids in tolerated and effective human treatment. There has also been analysis of plasma’s beneficial synergy with standard pharmaceuticals to enhance their effect. Cold atmospheric plasma triggers various responses in tumour cells, and this can result in epigenetic changes in both DNA methylation levels and histone modification. The expression and activity of non-coding RNAs with their many important cell regulatory functions can also be altered by cold atmospheric plasma action. Finally, there is ongoing debate whether plasma-produced radicals can directly affect DNA damage in the nucleus or only initiate apoptosis or other forms of cell death. This article therefore summarises accepted knowledge of cold atmospheric plasma’s influence on epigenetic changes, the expression and activity of non-coding RNAs, and DNA damage and its effect in synergistic treatment with routinely used pharmaceuticals.
Highlights
Published: 12 November 2021Plasma is the fourth fundamental state of matter
Actual performance as solid and stable ROS generators in complex living systems requires further investigation. He et al [212] consider that cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) enhances cell uptake and accumulation of these nanoparticles. Their investigation was performed on U373MG glioblastoma multiforme cells which could accumulate significantly more AU nanoparticles after 30-s exposure to CAP generated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD)
Abnormalities in epigenetic changes and non-coding RNA activity and expression can have fatal impacts on cells, similar to those caused by altered cellular signalling and oncogene and tumoursuppressor gene expression
Summary
Plasma is the fourth fundamental state of matter. It is assumed that 99% of the observed mass in the universe is composed of some type of plasma [1]. Despite the low temperature and low level of ionisation, cold plasma generates various active species, such as reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species and charged particles, UV radiation, and localised electric fields. Higher doses of ROS and RNS produced by CAP can potentially have negative effects on morphological and haemolytic changes in red blood cells [28]. CAP products can cause phospholipid bilayer etching [75,76,77,78], and this significantly affects cell membrane structure and function. In addition to reactive species and radicals, CAP-generated UV radiation influences plasma-cell interaction. This article summarises the accepted knowledge of how CAP effects these changes, and the possibility of using CAP in synergistic treatment with standard and experimental anti-cancer agents
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