Pulsed voltage cold atmospheric plasma jet and gold nanoparticles enhance cytotoxic anticancer effect

Abstract

Efficient and biologically safe mode of cold atmospheric plasma jet (CAPJ) is
crucial for the development of CAPJ-based anticancer therapy. In the experiment and
numerical simulations, by changing the pulse duration of a positive-pulsed voltage, we
found the optimal CAPJ modes with a regular streamer propagation and a maximum
discharge current at a temperature T<42 ◦C. These CAPJs substantially suppressed the
viability of cancer cells. To enhance a cytotoxic effect of CAPJ treatment, gold nanoparticles
(NPs) were added to the cells before and after the CAPJ exposure. Combination of
CAPJ, generated with the positive-pulsed voltage, and gold nanoparticles decreased the
viability of NCI-H23 epithelial-like lung adenocarcinoma, A549 lung adenocarcinoma,
BrCCh4e-134 breast adenocarcinoma and uMel1 uveal melanoma cells. Polyethylene
glycol-modified nanoparticles with attached fluorescent labels were used to visualize the
uptake of NPs. We demonstrated that NPs efficiently entered the cells when were added
to the cells just before CAPJ exposure or up to two hours afterwards. The efficiency of
NPs penetration into cells positively correlated with the induced cytotoxic effect: it was
maximal when NPs was added to cells right before or immediately after CAPJ exposure.
Summarizing, the treatment with optimal CAPJ modes in combination with modified NPs,
bearing the cancer-addressed molecules and therapeutics may be the next strategy of
strengthening the CAPJ-based antitumor approaches.