Effect of cold plasma on glial cell morphology studied by atomic force microscopy

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Cell Biology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is a key technique for cell morphology studies.
• Differences in cell membrane morphology between normal astrocytes and glial tumor cells are not well understood.
• The selective effects of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) on tumor cell viability require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the cell membrane morphology of normal human astrocytes and human glioblastoma cells using AFM.
• To evaluate the impact of CAP treatment on the cell membrane architecture of these cells.
• To identify potential differences in CAP response between normal and cancerous glial cells.

Main Methods:

• High-resolution imaging of glial cells (normal astrocytes and glioblastoma cells) using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM).
• Comparative morphological analysis of cell membranes before and after CAP treatment.
• Detailed examination of surface architectural features, specifically brush layers.

Main Results:

• Distinct differences in cell membrane brush layer architecture were observed between normal human astrocytes and glioblastoma cells.
• CAP treatment led to the disappearance of the brush layer from the surface of normal E6/E7 cells.
• The brush layer was maintained on the surface of glioblastoma U87 cells following CAP treatment.

Conclusions:

• AFM reveals unique cell membrane brush layer characteristics distinguishing normal astrocytes from glioblastoma cells.
• CAP treatment exhibits differential effects on the cell membrane brush layers of normal versus tumor glial cells.
• These findings provide novel insights into the physical differences between normal and cancerous glial cell membranes and their response to plasma treatment.