Applications of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Technology in Medicine, Agriculture and Food Industry

Abstract

In recent years, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) technology has received substantial attention due to its valuable properties including operational simplicity, low running cost, and environmental friendliness. Several different gases (air, nitrogen, helium, argon) and techniques (corona discharge, dielectric barrier discharge, plasma jet) can be used to generate plasma at atmospheric pressure and low temperature. Plasma treatment is routinely used in materials science to modify the surface properties (e.g., wettability, chemical composition, adhesion) of a wide range of materials (e.g., polymers, textiles, metals, glasses). Moreover, CAPP seems to be a powerful tool for the inactivation of various pathogens (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses) in the food industry (e.g., food and packing material decontamination, shelf life extension), agriculture (e.g., disinfection of seeds, fertilizer, water, soil) and medicine (e.g., sterilization of medical equipment, implants). Plasma medicine also holds great promise for direct therapeutic treatments in dentistry (tooth bleaching), dermatology (atopic eczema, wound healing) and oncology (melanoma, glioblastoma). Overall, CAPP technology is an innovative, powerful and effective tool offering a broad application potential. However, its limitations and negative impacts need to be determined in order to receive regulatory approval and consumer acceptance.

Effect of Cold Atmospheric Plasma on Epigenetic Changes, DNA Damage, and Possibilities for Its Use in Synergistic Cancer Therapy

“…In contrast, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has a wider range of use. It can be used for decontaminating surfaces from prokaryotes, viruses and prions [12][13][14]. Moreover, it has already been used successfully in clinical practice for skin regeneration and other dermatological treatment in addition to its important function in chronic wound healing [6,15,16].…”

“…Moreover, it has already been used successfully in clinical practice for skin regeneration and other dermatological treatment in addition to its important function in chronic wound healing [6,15,16]. In experimental conditions, it has strong anti-proliferative effect on tumour cells under in vitro conditions and tumour tissues in animal models in vivo, with only mild impact on healthy cells [14,[17][18][19][20][21][22]. It is also useful in promoting stem-cell proliferation [23][24][25][26].…”

“…Most studies in the past 20 years have focused on describing CAP's anti-cancer effects which are mostly based on plasma's generation of ROS and RNS. In addition, researchers also focused on CAP's effect on the generation of nitric oxide (NO), because this is crucial for the induction of stem-cell proliferation [14,[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26].…”

A Review of Microbial Decontamination of Cereals by Non-Thermal Plasma

“…Selected methods of wheat and wheat products were also mentioned there. Some applications of plasma treatment and related methods were also included in another recent review by Domonkos et al [ 15 ]. Concerning the possible side effects of plasma, several papers summarized in the review [ 16 ] mentioned no or minimal impacts on the physical, chemical, nutritional and sensory attributes of various products.…”

Hydrogen Peroxide Gas Plasma Sterilizer Combined with Dielectric Barrier Discharge and Corona Discharge Inactivates Prions

“…Hydrogen peroxide gas and/or plasma are known to be effective for the sterilization of heat-sensitive medical devices [19][20][21]. Studies using hydrogen peroxide gas sterilizers and gas plasma instruments have evaluated the inactivation effects against a range of pathogens [22][23][24][25][26][27], including prions [28][29][30].…”