Hydroxyl Radical and Hydrogen Peroxide are Primarily Responsible for Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma-Induced Angiogenesis

Non-thermal plasmas have recently been applied to biomedical challenges, including blood coagulation, sterilization and malignant cell apoptosis. We previously demonstrated that non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma promotes angiogenesis through reactive oxygen species-induced fibroblast growth factor-2 release. However, it remained unclear which plasma-produced reactive species contributed to this effect. In this study, H2O2, OH center dot, O-2(-), and O-2((1)Delta(g)) were measured in liquid and cells after plasma treatment using specific fluorescent probes. While all reactive species except O-2((1)Delta(g)) increased with plasma dose in both liquid and cells, H2O2 and OH center dot were primarily responsible for plasma-induced angiogenesis. This study will guide development of new plasma devices for angiogenesis in wound healing and tissue engineering.