Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are critical signaling molecules for neuronal physiology that stimulate growth and development and play vital roles in several pathways when in a balanced state, but they cause neurodegeneration when unbalanced. As ROS levels above a certain threshold cause the activation of the autophagy system, moderate levels of ROS can be used as treatment strategies. Currently, such treatments are used together with low-level laser or photodynamic therapies, photo-bio modulation, or infrared treatments, in different chronic diseases but not in the treatment of neurodegeneration. Recently, non-thermal plasma has been successfully used in biomedical applications and treatments, and beneficial effects such as differentiation, cell growth, and proliferation, stimulation of ROS based pathways have been observed. Besides the activation of a wide range of biological signaling pathways by generating ROS, plasma application can be an effective treatment in neuronal regeneration, as well as in neuronal diseases. In this review, we summarize the generation and role of ROS in neurons and provide critical insights into their potential benefits on neurons. We also discuss the underlying mechanisms of ROS on neuronal development. Regarding clinical applications, we focus on ROS-based neuronal growth and regeneration strategies and in the usage of non-thermal plasma in neuronal and CNS injury treatments.
Highlights
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are group of molecules which are generated from oxygen and are very reactive in nature
The role of non-thermal plasma (NTP) in neuronal growth and development has not been deeply studied, a few works have reported that cold plasma could improve differentiation of neuronal stem cells and increase neuronal regeneration following trauma [32,33,34]
The objective of this review is to highlight the role of reactive species in neuron growth and development and to focus on the underlying mechanism by which NTP acts on neuronal growth, differentiation, and regeneration to promote post-injury healing, together with functional regeneration
Summary
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are group of molecules which are generated from oxygen and are very reactive in nature. Activation of autophagy has been proposed as a potential mechanism to clear abnormal protein aggregations [30,31], and as an effective way to cope with NDs. Applying a limited amount of NTP to initiate autophagy, without causing any cell or tissue damage, could constitute a potential treatment for NDs. the role of NTP in neuronal growth and development has not been deeply studied, a few works have reported that cold plasma could improve differentiation of neuronal stem cells and increase neuronal regeneration following trauma [32,33,34]. The objective of this review is to highlight the role of reactive species in neuron growth and development and to focus on the underlying mechanism by which NTP acts on neuronal growth, differentiation, and regeneration to promote post-injury healing, together with functional regeneration
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