Cold atmospheric plasma promotes migration persistence, through induced H₂O₂ and electric field

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Dermatology

Background:

• Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is utilized in medical devices for wound healing.
• Wound healing necessitates dermal fibroblast migration beyond keratinocyte closure.
• The impact of CAP on fibroblast migration remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of CAP on primary human dermal fibroblast migration.
• To identify the specific CAP-generated components responsible for enhancing fibroblast migration.

Main Methods:

• Exposure of primary human dermal fibroblasts to CAP for 10 seconds.
• Assessment of Arp2/3-dependent lamellipodium formation and migration persistence.
• Evaluation of the roles of reactive oxygen species and electric fields in CAP-induced migration.

Main Results:

• A brief 10-second CAP exposure significantly increased fibroblast lamellipodium formation and migration persistence.
• Reactive oxygen species and the plasma-induced electric field were identified as critical factors.
• These stimuli, when applied separately, showed partial effects, but acted synergistically to fully replicate CAP's enhancement of migration persistence.

Conclusions:

• CAP effectively enhances dermal fibroblast migration, a key process in wound healing.
• Reactive oxygen species and electric fields are the primary synergistic components of CAP responsible for this effect.
• Understanding these synergistic mechanisms can optimize CAP-based therapies for wound treatment.