Anticancer transmission effects induced by hybrid plasma bubble-activated medium

• Published in: Applied physics letters 2024-07, Vol.125 (3)
• Main Authors: Zhu, He, Xu, Yujing, Wu, Tong, Zhou, Renwu, Zhang, Hao, Liu, Dingxin, Rong, Mingzhe, Yang, Xiaojian, Cullen, Patrick J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anticancer properties; Apoptosis; Cancer; Cell culture; Dielectric barrier discharge; Hybrid modes; Plasma; Plasma bubbles; Underwater
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0215218

As an indirect application of cold atmospheric plasma, the use of plasma-activated solutions has recently attracted significant attention for intracavity tumor perfusion therapy. Here, an underwater plasma-bubble reactor with three discharge modes was applied to activate a cell culture medium, with the aim of inhibiting the growth of bladder cancer T24 cells in vitro. The results showed that although the reactive species in cell culture medium generated by the underwater bubble plasma varied between the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) mode, spark mode, and hybrid mode, the plasma-activated cell culture medium (PAM) corresponding to all three discharge modes effectively decreased the viability of T24 cells. However, after co-culturing the PAM-pretreated T24 cells with normal T24 cells, it was observed that normal T24 cells were not affected by either the DBD or spark mode; however, the hybrid mode PAM-pretreated T24 cells further induced inactivation and apoptosis of normal T24 cells. Further studies suggested that the aqueous reactive species generated by the underwater bubble plasma in hybrid mode not only induced the apoptosis of T24 cells directly but also triggered PAM-pretreated T24 cell-derived exosome-mediated anticancer activity toward cancer cells. These results may provide a strategy for enhancing the anticancer extent and effect of PAM as well as advancing its clinical application.