Probing the transport of plasma-generated RONS in an agarose target as surrogate for real tissue: dependency on time, distance and material composition

We report a simple experimental approach to follow the transport of helium (He) plasma-generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) through millimetre thick agarose targets. These RONS may be either primary RONS, generated directly by the plasma jet, or secondary RONS generated for example at the surface of, or within, the material. Our experiment involves placing an agarose film over a quartz cuvette filled with deionized water. The agarose film is exposed to a He plasma jet and the UV absorption profile (of the deionized water) is recorded in real-time. Plasma exposure time, source-target distance and agarose film thickness and composition are varied to explore their effects on the depth of RONS delivery by the plasma jet. We conclude that plasma UV plays a minor role in the transport of RONS; whereas direct plasma contact and the He gas flow promote the transport of RONS into tissue. Our data indicate an accumulation of RONS within the agarose film (during plasma exposure) and a subsequent (time-lagged) release into the deionized water. Our approach can be readily adapted to other plasma sources; it can accommodate more complex biological materials, and has the potential to provide new insights into plasma-induced phenomena within real tissues.