A direct‐current, cold‐atmospheric‐pressure air plasma microjet (PMJ) sustained in a quasi‐steady gas cavity in a liquid medium is used to inactivate Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) suspended in the liquid. The temperature and the pH value of the liquid change to steady‐state values of about 40 °C and 3.0–4.5, respectively, after 10 min of plasma treatment. The decrease in the pH is attributed to the reaction of NOx produced in the air plasma with water at the gas–liquid interface. The concentrations of NO 3− and NO 2− are measured to be 37 mg · L−1 and 21 mg · L−1, respectively, after a 20 min of plasma treatment. Effective inactivation of S. aureus is found to start after the pH values decreases to about 4.5. This is attributed to the high oxidizing potential of the perhydroxyl radical (HOO•) on the fatty acid in the cell membranes of the microorganisms in the liquid.

Hydroxyl radical (•OH) and singlet oxygen (1O2) were detected by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy in a direct current He/O2 (2%) non‐thermal plasma microjet‐water system. ${}^{ \bullet }{\rm O}_{{\rm 2}}^{- } $ is shown to be the precursor of •OH. The concentrations of 1O2 and •OH are evaluated to be around 6 × 10−4 and 1.2 × 10−5 M, respectively. The survival rates of S. aureus exposed to plasma for 20 s in 1 ml H2O, SOD (100 U, for scavenging ${}^{ \bullet }{\rm O}_{{\rm 2}}^{- } $), D‐Man (0.15 M, for scavenging •OH), and L‐His (0.15 M, for scavenging •OH and 1O2) solutions were 0.7, 1.6, 13.4, and 40.9%, respectively, indicating that 1O2 contributes the most to the inactivation.

contributed equally to this work.Bacillus subtilis spores suspended in distilled water was effectively inactivated in 6 min by a direct-current atmospheric pressure non-thermal air plasma microjet. Scanning electron microscopic images show clear distortion and debris of spores after plasma treatment. Direct contribution by temperature and pH change of water as well as relatively long lived species in plasma activated water (PAW) is excluded. Short lived species (such as OH, O À 2 and O 2 ( 1 D g )) are detected in the plasma-water system by electron spin resonance spectroscopy, and are considered to be the most important agents in the inactivation process.

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A direct‐current, atmospheric pressure, cold plasma microjet (PMJ) sustained in a quasi‐steady gas cavity in liquid was used to inactivate Staphylococcus aureus suspended in distilled water. While helium gas (with 2% O2 as additive) was used as working gas, an effective inactivation (>99%) was achieved in 6 min. The inactivation of bacteria was further verified by surface morphology examination and LIVE/DEAD Baclight bacterial viability test (fluorescence microscopy). The overall pH and temperature of the liquid were monitored during the plasma treatment and were found to be below the critical values for the survival of S. aureus. Hydroxyl radical (•OH) was detected via electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, and alongside other intermediate reactive species, is attributed to the effective inactivation of S. aureus. End‐on optical emission spectroscopy show strong atomic oxygen emission both in air and in water.

In contrast with a thermal plasma surgical instrument based on coagulative and ablative properties, low-temperature (non-thermal) non-equilibrium plasmas are known for novel medicinal effects on exposed tissue while minimizing undesirable tissue damage. In this study we demonstrated that arrays of non-thermal microplasma jet devices fabricated from a transparent polymer can efficiently inactivate fungi (Candida albicans) as well as bacteria (Escherichia coli), both in vitro and in vivo, and that this leads to a significant wound-healing effect. Microplasma jet arrays offer several advantages over conventional single-jet devices, including superior packing density, inherent scalability for larger treatment areas, unprecedented material flexibility in a plasma jet device, and the selective generation of medically relevant reactive species at higher plasma densities. The therapeutic effects of our multi-jet device were verified on second-degree burns in animal rat models. Reduction of the wound area and the histology of the wound after treatment have been investigated, and expression of interleukin (IL)-1α, -6 and -10 was verified to evaluate the healing effects. The consistent effectiveness of non-thermal plasma treatment has been observed especially in decreasing wound size and promoting re-epithelialization through collagen arrangement and the regulation of expression of inflammatory genes.

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Proteinases play a critical role in developmental homeostasis and in response to environ-mental stimuli. Our present research reports that a new cysteine protease, NtCP56, is involved in the development of pollen grains in Nicotiana tabacum L. The NtCP56 gene, which encodes a protein of 361 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 40 kDa, is strongly expressed in anthers. The recombinant NtCP56 showed a high activity towards casein. Kinetic analysis revealed a Km of 2.20 mg ml−1 and Vmax of 11.07 μg ml−1 min−1. The recombinant NtCP56 retained more than 50% of its maximum enzymatic activity from 20 °C to 60 °C with an optimum Tm range of 30–50 °C. The enzyme had a maximum activity at approximately pH 6.5. Suppression of the NtCP56 gene in anti-sense transgenic tobaccos resulted in the sterility of pollen grains. Our data indicated that, as a cysteine protease, NtCP56 might play an important role in pollen development.