Pulsed voltage cold atmospheric plasma jet and gold nanoparticles enhance cytotoxic anticancer effect

Abstract

Efficient and biologically safe mode of cold atmospheric plasma jet (CAPJ) is crucial for the development of CAPJ-based anticancer therapy. In the experiment and numerical simulations, by changing the pulse duration of a positive-pulsed (PP) voltage, we found the optimal CAPJ modes with a regular streamer propagation and a maximum discharge current at a temperature T< 42 ∘C. These CAPJs substantially suppressed the viability of cancer cells. To enhance a cytotoxic effect of CAPJ treatment, gold nanoparticles (NPs) were added to the cells before and after the CAPJ exposure. Combination of CAPJ, generated with the PP voltage, and gold NPs decreased the viability of NCI-H23 epithelial-like lung adenocarcinoma, A549 lung adenocarcinoma, BrCCh4e-134 breast adenocarcinoma and uMel1 uveal melanoma cells. Polyethylene glycol-modified NPs with attached fluorescent labels were used to visualize the uptake of NPs. We demonstrated that NPs efficiently entered the cells when were added to the cells just before CAPJ exposure or up to two hours afterwards. The efficiency of NPs penetration into cells positively correlated with the induced cytotoxic effect: it was maximal when NPs was added to cells right before or immediately after CAPJ exposure. Summarizing, the treatment with optimal CAPJ modes in combination with modified NPs, bearing the cancer-addressed molecules and therapeutics may be the next strategy of strengthening the CAPJ-based antitumor approaches.