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

Abstract

Cold atmospheric plasma has great potential for use in modern medicine. It has been used in the clinical treatment of skin diseases and chronic wounds, and in laboratory settings it has shown effects on selective decrease in tumour-cell viability, reduced tumour mass in animal models and stem-cell proliferation. Many researchers are currently focusing on its application to internal structures and the use of plasma-activated liquids in tolerated and effective human treatment. There has also been analysis of plasma’s beneficial synergy with standard pharmaceuticals to enhance their effect. Cold atmospheric plasma triggers various responses in tumour cells, and this can result in epigenetic changes in both DNA methylation levels and histone modification. The expression and activity of non-coding RNAs with their many important cell regulatory functions can also be altered by cold atmospheric plasma action. Finally, there is ongoing debate whether plasma-produced radicals can directly affect DNA damage in the nucleus or only initiate apoptosis or other forms of cell death. This article therefore summarises accepted knowledge of cold atmospheric plasma’s influence on epigenetic changes, the expression and activity of non-coding RNAs, and DNA damage and its effect in synergistic treatment with routinely used pharmaceuticals.

The applications of cold atmospheric plasma in dentistry

“…[15,38] In different medical fields, like surface decontamination from microorganisms, CAP has demonstrated remarkable clinical or preclinical potential. [1,39] Another useful application of CAP is dermatological therapy, which can improve skin rejuvenation and promote effective wound healing. With almost no impact on healthy cells, CAP in oncology has shown potential anticancer effects against a wide range of tumor cell lines and tumor tissues in animal models.…”

“…Research is focused on discovering alternative therapies that can be combined with alreadyeffective treatments to improve results for OSCC patients. [17,39,110] Several modalities of cell death, including apoptosis, necrosis, necroptosis, autophagy, and pyroptosis, can be therapeutically targeted for the treatment of cancer cells. [111] CAP treatment raises intracellular ROS, which can impact various elements in the signaling of tumor cell death.…”

Lysine Acetylation, Cancer Hallmarks and Emerging Onco-Therapeutic Opportunities

“…Importantly, it was demonstrated that CAP could be used to modify the human epigenome, with most reports focusing on DNA methylation, histone methylation, and histone acetylation [ 135 ]. Through pyrosequencing and whole-genome methylation microarray analysis, Park et al reported the effect of CAP in triggering hypomethylation of a specific CpG site of Alu from 23.4 to 20.3% in MDAMB231 TNBC cells [ 136 ].…”

Recent Advances in Prion Inactivation by Plasma Sterilizer

“…To date, plasma technology has been utilized mainly in the field of engineering (plasma etching and nuclear fusion), which utilizes high-energy plasmas [ 39 , 40 ]. However, in recent years, considerable resources have been directed toward analyzing the potential biological applications of plasma, especially in innovative medical treatments [ 41 , 42 , 43 ]. Currently, plasma sterilization is becoming increasingly commercially available and constitutes the main purpose of plasma use in the medical field [ 22 ].…”