ROS implication in a new antitumor strategy based on non-thermal plasma

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Plasma Physics
• Oncology

Background:

• Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a reactive gas at ambient temperature with potential for medical applications.
• Its ability to interact with cells without significant heating makes it promising for cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the antitumor activity of NTP in vitro and in vivo.
• To investigate the mechanisms underlying NTP's effects on cancer cells.

Main Methods:

• In vitro: NTP exposure to glioblastoma (U87MG) and colorectal carcinoma (HCT-116) cell lines.
• In vivo: NTP treatment of U87MG tumor-bearing mice.
• Analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, DNA damage, cell cycle, apoptosis, and tumor volume.

Main Results:

• NTP generated significant ROS, causing DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in cancer cell lines.
• In vivo, NTP reduced tumor volume and bioluminescence in mice.
• NTP induced apoptosis and S-phase cell cycle arrest in tumors, suggesting proliferation inhibition.

Conclusions:

• NTP demonstrates significant antitumor potential through ROS generation.
• NTP is a promising strategy for cancer treatment, warranting further investigation.