Abstract

BackgroundPlasma medicine is an innovative research field focused on the application of atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasmas (ALTP) for therapeutic purposes. Considering the potentials of plasma in ophthalmology, in this study, we evaluated the safety of plasma on the conjunctival tissue in animal models for 6 months.MethodsTwelve adult male New Zealand albino rabbits were divided into four groups. The right eye of each rabbit was chosen for the test and the left eye was considered as the control. Experiments were performed using the Plexr device (GMV, Rocca Priora, RM, Italy). Four plasma spots were applied on the superior part of the conjunctiva (from 10 to 2 o’clock positions) using the continuous mode and a low power level (white handpiece) of the Plexr. For evaluation of the plasma safety, the histopathological changes were assessed 1 week (A), 1 month (B), 3 months (C), and 6 months (D) after the intervention.ResultsAccording to the histopathological findings, a mild decrease in blood vessels and severe stromal edema, as well as a superficial epithelium loss, were observed in group A. No chronic inflammation, scar tissue, deposition, and hemorrhage were found in group B. Epithelialization was confirmed by the histological examinations after 1 month. There was no evidence of atypia or dysplasia after 3 and 6 months.ConclusionIn conclusion, there were no persistent histopathological changes on conjunctival tissue after plasma exposure. Then, plasma can be considered as a minimally invasive alternative method for treating some ocular surface disorders.

Highlights

  • Plasma medicine is an innovative research field focused on the application of atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasmas (ALTP) for therapeutic purposes

  • Application of plasma in the medicine started in the early- and mid-1990s by the generation of atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasmas (ALTP) [5]

  • In continuation of the previous studies, the present study aimed to investigate the histopathological influences of plasma exposure on the conjunctival surface after 6 months of intervention

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Summary

Introduction

Plasma medicine is an innovative research field focused on the application of atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasmas (ALTP) for therapeutic purposes. Plasma is often defined as the fourth state of matter following solid, liquid, and gaseous states It can be generated by supplying energy to a neutral gas until an ionized gaseous composed of ions, electrons, and photons is achieved [2, 3]. Its application has emerged in various medical disciplines of aesthetic medicine, oculoplastic surgery, and dentistry [7,8,9,10,11] This apparatus ionizes the air between the handpiece tip and the target tissue by generating an appropriate potential difference. The energy is not delivered directly from the device to the deeper or surrounding tissues [12]

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