Mechanisms of Selective Antitumor Action of Cold Atmospheric Plasma-Derived Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species

Transformed cells are subject to elimination through intercellular reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (RONS)-dependent apoptosis-inducing signaling. Tumor progression, therefore, requires expression of membrane-bound catalase. Recent research demonstrates that O-1(2) can inactivate membrane-bound catalase, thus, inducing the generation of tumor cell-derived secondary O-1(2) and RONS-dependent apoptosis selectively in tumor cells. Crucially, O-1(2) signaling can result in self-perpetuating apoptotic signaling from cell-to-cell. It is known that CAP contains O-1(2) and that certain CAP constituents can generate O-1(2) in solution. The analysis of model experiments performed with defined RONS implies that CAP-derived O-1(2) induces the mechanism through which CAP acts selectively against cancer cells in vitro and tumors in vivo. This hypothesis needs to be tested experimentally in order to establish its validity.