Abstract
Micro-plasma is a possible alternative treatment for wound management. The effect of micro-plasma on wound healing depends on its composition and temperature. The authors previously developed a capillary-tube-based micro-plasma system that can generate micro-plasma with a high nitric oxide-containing species composition and mild working temperature. Here, the efficacy of micro-plasma treatment on wound healing in a laser-induced skin wound mouse model was investigated. A partial thickness wound was created in the back skin of each mouse and then treated with micro-plasma. Non-invasive methods, namely wound closure kinetics, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and laser Doppler scanning, were used to measure the healing efficiency in the wound area. Neo-tissue growth and the expressions of matrix metallopeptidase-3 (MMP-3) and laminin in the wound area were assessed using histological and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis. The results show that micro-plasma treatment promoted wound healing. Micro-plasma treatment significantly reduced the wound bed region. The OCT images and histological analysis indicates more pronounced tissue regrowth in the wound bed region after micro-plasma treatment. The laser Doppler images shows that micro-plasma treatment promoted blood flow in the wound bed region. The IHC results show that the level of laminin increased in the wound bed region after micro-plasma treatment, whereas the level of MMP-3 decreased. Based on these results, micro-plasma has potential to be used to promote the healing of skin wounds clinically.
Highlights
The disruption of the normal anatomic structure and function of skin or organ tissues results in the formation of a wound [1]
To determine the nitric oxide (NO) accumulation in skin tissue after micro-plasma treatment, nitrite which the only one stable end-product of the autoxidation of NO in the aqueous tissue lysate was measured by the Griess assay
The results showed that more homogenous structure under wound bed region after micro-plasma treatment (Fig 4)
Summary
The disruption of the normal anatomic structure and function of skin or organ tissues results in the formation of a wound [1]. Acute skin wounds undergo a repair process that leads to benign scars. Failure of this process, due to the wound area and/or depth exceeding the patient’s ability to heal, may lead to an undesirable scar or a chronic or non-healing wound [1,4]. Chronic and non-healing wounds are especially costly because they require repetitive treatments; for example, a diabetic foot ulcer typically costs $50,000 to treat [5]. Xenografts, or tissueengineered skin substitutes have been proposed for wound treatment, drawbacks include limited availability of donor tissue, rejection by the host’s immune system, and high cost [4]
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