BIOPLASMAS & PLASMAS WITH LIQUIDS - Joint Conference of COST ACTIONS TD1208 “Electrical discharges with liquids for future
applications” & MP1101 Biomedical Applications of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Technology, Bertinoro, Italy, 13th-17th September 2015
Activation of Liquid Media by Low Temperature Plasma for
Biomedical Purposes
Mounir Laroussi, Soheila Mohades, Hamid Razavi
Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, Old Dominion University, 231 Kaufman
Hall, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA
Understanding the mechanisms of interaction of low temperature plasma (LTP) with liquids is crucial to the
field of plasma medicine since in most biomedical applications of LTP, the plasma comes in direct contact
with biological fluids. LTP activates the liquid by first inducing chemical reaction at the plasma-liquid
interface. The chemical species generated there (such as OH and H2O2) are transported to the liquid where
they can be solvated and therefore changing the chemical characteristics of the liquid bulk. For example, the
reactive oxygen species produced by LTP can interact with the liquid to generate relatively stable long lived
species inside the volume of the liquid. These include hydrogen peroxide (H 2O2), nitrites (NO2-), nitrates
(NO3-), and organic peroxides (RO2). These species are known to have various biological implications. In
particular, hydrogen peroxide causes various oxidizing reactions in biological cells, including the peroxidation
of lipids and induction of DNA damage. Hydrogen peroxide is also known to play a role in mitogenic
stimulation and cell cycle regulation.
Media that is activated by LTP is referred to as Plasma Activated Media (PAM). PAM has been shown to be
as effective in killing cancer cells as direct treatment by low temperature plasma (LTP) [1], [2]. Several
investigators showed that PAM has strong killing effects against various cancers including ovarian cancer,
gastric cancer, glioblastoma, and breast cancer [1]-[5].
In this presentation, first the general aspects of the application of LTP on top of liquids are briefly reviewed.
Then, the production of PAM by activating a Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) by the plasma pencil is
discussed (see Figure 1). This is followed by showing the results of the application of PAM to select cancer
cell lines. The efficacy of fresh PAM and that of “aged” PAM are also discussed and comparison with an
apoptosis inducing drug is presented.
Fig. 1 Experimental setup for the production of PAM which is subsequently used on cancer cells.
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Okazaki, S. Toyokuni, S. Maruyama, F. Kikkawa, and M. Hori, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 42, 3760 (2014).
[2] S. Mohades, N. Barekzi, and M. Laroussi, Plasma Process. Polym.11, 1150 (2014).
[3] T. Sato, M. Yokoyama, and K. Johkura, J. Phys. D, Appl. Phys. 44, 372001 (2011).
[4] F. Utsumi, H. Kjiyama, K. Nakamura, H. Tanaka, M. Mizuno, K. Ishikawa, H. Kondo, H. Kano, M. Hori,
and F. Kikkawa, PLoS One 8, p. e81576 (2013).
[5] M. Laroussi, Plasma Process. Polym.11, 1138 (2014).