Plasma bioscience and its application to medicine

Abstract

Nonthermal atmospheric pressure biocompatible plasma (NBP), alternatively called bio-cold plasma, is a partially ionized gas that consists of charged particles, neutral atoms and molecules, photons, an electric field, and heat. Recently, nonthermal plasma-based technology has been applied to bioscience, medicine, agriculture, food processing, and safety. Various plasma device configurations and electrode layouts has fast-tracked plasma applications in the treatment of biological and material surfaces. The NBP action mechanism may be related to the synergy of plasma constituents, such as ultraviolet radiation or a reactive species. Recently, plasma has been used in the inactivation of viruses and resistant microbes, such as fungal cells, bacteria, spores, and biofilms made by microbes. It has also been used to heal wounds, coagulate blood, degrade pollutants, functionalize material surfaces, kill cancers, and for dental applications. This review provides an outline of NBP devices and their applications in bioscience and medicine. We also discuss the role of plasma-activated liquids in biological applications, such as cancer treatments and agriculture. The individual adaptation of plasma to meet specific medical requirements necessitates real-time monitoring of both the plasma performance and the target that is treated and will provide a new paradigm of plasma-based therapeutic clinical systems.

Cold atmospheric plasma decontamination of SARS‐CoV‐2 bioaerosols

“…CAP is a possible treatment to reduce the presence of infecting SARS-CoV-2 virions in the air and surface of environmental materials. CAP has been proven to be safe and effective in damaging capsid and nucleic acids thanks to the content of RONS generated during treatment [13] and inactivating SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces. [30] In this study, the effect of CAP on aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 viral particles is shown asefficient in inactivating the virus, even ifa low power (less than 9 W) was used to generate CAP.…”

“…Indeed, CAP, an ionized gas able to produce a blend of bioactive components (e.g., reactive oxygen and nitrogen species [RONS], electric field, UV ray), can inactivate the aerosolized virus through various oxidative processes, damaging nucleic acid, and proteins and lipids, causing aggregation of viruses. [13,14] Moreover, CAP can also act as a particle filter, thanks to the effect of the associated electric field in imparting charge-driven filtration due to the induction of negative charging of particles. [15] For this reason, several studies have focused on the use of CAP for the decontamination of air from potential pathogens, for example, viruses.…”

“…Indeed, CAP, an ionized gas able to produce a blend of bioactive components (e.g., reactive oxygen and nitrogen species [RONS], electric field, UV ray), can inactivate the aerosolized virus through various oxidative processes, damaging nucleic acid, and proteins and lipids, causing aggregation of viruses. [ 13,14 ]…”

Food safety of plasma-chemically activated water and bread made with its use

“…However, the need to search for prospects for solutions in applied biomedical applications of plasma-chemically activated water was noted. Promising for further research is not only the establishment of the mechanisms and stability of the properties of such water after treatment, but also its safety as a food ingredient [14,23].…”

Biocidal Activity of Low Temperature Plasma to Xylella Fastidiosa

“…These drawbacks are driving research for a novel, highly e cient sterilization process. Among microbial inactivation strategies, non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma has received increasing attention in biology, medicine [12][13][14] and the agricultural and food industries [15][16][17] .…”