On cold atmospheric-pressure plasma jet induced DNA damage in cells

To investigate the potential role of the hydroxyl radical ((OH)-O-center dot) in cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) jet treatment, two fluorescence-based methodologies are utilised to measure DNA strand breaks. The first comprises a model system of a double-stranded DNA oligomer, where the respective strand ends are tagged with fluorophore and quencher molecules; and the second, a cell culture system reporting DNA strand breaks using the gamma-H2AX assay. During the various CAP jet treatments, optical emission spectroscopy is used to detect the (OH)-O-center dot in the gas phase and electron spin resonance is used to detect the (OH)-O-center dot in solution. The CAP jet production of the (OH)-O-center dot is shown to correlate to CAP jet induced DNA damage both with the DNA model and in biological cells. Results indicate that the CAP jet induces a higher degree of DNA damage when the CAP plume is in contact with the target solution. The potential of a 'plasma screen' based upon a hydrogel film, as a method to remove the DNA-damaging (OH)-O-center dot species from reaching skin cells, is shown to significantly reduce DNA damage whilst facilitating the delivery of hydrogen peroxide. These findings could aid in the development of CAP jet-based applications where DNA damage is the objective (e.g. in cancer treatment) and others where it is to be avoided, e.g. in open-wound treatment and dermatology.

Automated summary

The study investigates the potential role of hydroxyl radicals in cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) jet treatment, showing correlation between CAP jet-induced DNA damage and the presence of hydroxyl radicals. A 'plasma screen' based on a hydrogel film is demonstrated to significantly reduce DNA damage while facilitating the delivery of hydrogen peroxide, which could be beneficial for applications focusing on DNA damage such as cancer treatment, as well as in situations where DNA damage should be minimized, such as open-wound treatment and dermatology.