Current State of Cold Atmospheric Plasma and Cancer‐Immunity Cycle: Therapeutic Relevance and Overcoming Clinical Limitations Using Hydrogels

Abstract

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a partially ionized gas that gains attention as a well-tolerated cancer treatment that can enhance anti-tumor immune responses, which are important for durable therapeutic effects. This review offers a comprehensive and critical summary on the current understanding of mechanisms in which CAP can assist anti-tumor immunity: induction of immunogenic cell death, oxidative post-translational modifications of the tumor and its microenvironment, epigenetic regulation of aberrant gene expression, and enhancement of immune cell functions. This should provide a rationale for the effective and meaningful clinical implementation of CAP. As discussed here, despite its potential, CAP faces different clinical limitations associated with the current CAP treatment modalities: direct exposure of cancerous cells to plasma, and indirect treatment through injection of plasma-treated liquids in the tumor. To this end, a novel modality is proposed: plasma-treated hydrogels (PTHs) that can not only help overcome some of the clinical limitations but also offer a convenient platform for combining CAP with existing drugs to improve therapeutic responses and contribute to the clinical translation of CAP. Finally, by integrating expertise in biomaterials and plasma medicine, practical considerations and prospective for the development of PTHs are offered. BackgroundCold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a partially ionized gas that represents a promising tool in biomedical research, with medically

Electromagnetic Nature of Distant Interaction of the Atmospheric Pressure Helium Plasma Discharge Tube with Glioblastoma Cancer Cells

“…Selective treatment has been thoroughly demonstrated in the literature on plasma medicine, an emerging field of medicine that utilizes a quasi-neutral atmospheric pressure cold (room temperature) ionized gas (“plasma”) as a source of chemical and/or physical factors for wound healing, sterilization, and cancer treatment. Nonthermal effects on cancer cells can be achieved using cold atmospheric plasma devices , such as a plasma jet, which delivers multiple plasma-generated reactive chemical species as well as a strong high electric field originating from the plasma jet streamer head. In cases of direct contact of the jet with tissue, the electric field can penetrate inside the tissue while maintaining the field strength from hundreds to thousands of volts per meter .…”

Cold Atmospheric Plasma-Activated Composite Hydrogel for an Enhanced and On-Demand Delivery of Antimicrobials

“…On-going work demonstrates that such encapsulation/release can be achieved with a broad range of antimicrobial moieties including silver ions, cetrimide (a quaternary ammonium cation), and the antimicrobial peptide polymyxin-B as well as dendrimers. The concept of CAP-treated hydrogels for drug delivery in cancer treatment was recently discussed by Živanić et al; however, the hydrogel they proposed is CAP-treated in a non-crosslinked state before turning into a 3D network upon injection . We believe that the approach shown here is novel, can be adapted to any type of CAP device, and has the potential to be utilized with a broad range of therapeutics, opening up opportunities in other indications such as cancers and skin-related autoimmune conditions.…”

“…The concept of CAP-treated hydrogels for drug delivery in cancer treatment was recently discussed by Z ̌ivanićet al; however, the hydrogel they proposed is CAP-treated in a non-crosslinked state before turning into a 3D network upon injection. 33 We believe that the approach shown here is novel, can be adapted to any type of CAP device, and has the potential to be utilized with a broad range of therapeutics, opening up opportunities in other indications such as cancers and skin-related autoimmune conditions.…”

Plasma‐Activated Solutions Mitigates DSS‐Induced Colitis via Restoring Redox Homeostasis and Reversing Microbiota Dysbiosis

“…In recent years, plasma has received considerable attention for its applications in different fields, including wound healing, surface disinfection, [27] blood coagulation, cancer treatment, [28] and skin treatment. [21,29] PAS [30] includes a variety of active oxygen and nitrogen species, but most of them are short-acting particles that are finally dissolved in solution in the form of nitrate, nitrite particles, and hydrogen peroxide.…”