The Strong Cell-based Hydrogen Peroxide Generation Triggered by Cold Atmospheric Plasma

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) can rapidly induce micromolar levels of hydrogen peroxide in cancer cells, revealing a new cellular response that enhances understanding of CAP's interaction with cells.

Contribution

First demonstration that CAP induces significant H2O2 production in cancer cells, revealing a novel cellular response to CAP treatment.

Findings

Cancer cells produce micromolar H2O2 during CAP treatment

H2O2 generation depends on medium volume, cell confluence, and discharge voltage

Reveals a new cellular response to CAP exposure

Abstract

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an important signaling molecule in cancer cells. However, the significant secretion of H2O2 by cancer cells have been rarely observed. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a near room temperature ionized gas composed of neutral particles, charged particles, reactive species, and electrons. Here, we first demonstrated that breast cancer cells and pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells generated micromolar level H2O2 during just 1 min of direct CAP treatment on these cells. The cell-based H2O2 generation is affected by the medium volume, the cell confluence, as well as the discharge voltage. The application of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in the cancer treatment has been intensively investigated over the past decade. Several cellular responses to the CAP treatment have been observed including the consumption of the CAP-originated reactive species, the rise of intracellular reactive oxygen species, the damage on DNA and mitochondria, as well as the activation of apoptotic events. This is a new previously unknown cellular response to CAP, which provides a new prospective to understand the interaction between CAP and cells.