Abstract
Nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) is a promising method for medical applications. In particular, it can induce temporary or permanent damage to tissue known as reversible electroporation (RE) and irreversible electroporation (IRE), respectively. RE enables the transfer of genes, drugs and proteins into cells. APPJ generates reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), which induces oxidative and nitrosative stress to cells. By generating low level of RONS, APPJ may change the sensitization of cells to RE and facilitate plasmid DNA delivery to cells and tissue. In this paper, we report pilot studies where air or helium plasma jets were applied to Guinea pigs for plasmid DNA delivery in vivo. Both devices were based on a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) configuration. The air plasma jet was powered by a compact DC power supply, while the He plasma jet was driven by 200 ns, 8 kV pulses at 1 kHz. Plasmid encoding luciferase was delivered with each device. Bioluminescence was measured using an IVIS in vivo imager to evaluate expression levels achieved using the different delivery methods including plasma alone and the combination with pulsed electric fields (electroporation). The power consumptions were determined based on voltage and current measurements. RONS production by different plasma jets were evaluated.
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