On the possible mechanisms of the selective effect of a non-equilibrium plasma on healthy and cancer cells in a physiological solution

TL;DR

This study explores how non-equilibrium plasma selectively affects cancer cells by altering membrane potentials through electrolyte interactions, potentially causing apoptosis in cancer cells without harming healthy cells.

Contribution

It proposes a novel mechanism involving dielectric properties and membrane charging differences that explain selective plasma effects on cancer versus healthy cells.

Findings

Plasma induces different electro-mechanical responses in healthy and cancer cells.

Cancer cell membranes likely have lower dielectric permeability, leading to higher potential differences.

This difference may cause electroporation and apoptosis selectively in cancer cells.

Abstract

This paper discusses possible mechanisms for the selective effect of weakly ionized non-equilibrium plasma and currents in electrolyte on healthy and cancerous cells in physiological saline in a Petri dish. The interaction with the plasma source leads to a change in osmotic pressure, which affects the electro-mechanical properties of cell membranes in healthy and cancerous cells in different ways. The currents arising in the electrolyte charge the membranes of healthy and cancerous cells to a different potential difference due to the different values of the membranes' dielectric constant. We hypothesized that the dielectric permeability of cancer cell membranes is lower than that of healthy cells, as is the capacity of a unit of the membrane surface, and therefore, the additional potential difference acquired by the membrane through charging with currents induced in the intercellular electrolyte is greater in cancer cells. This can lead to electroporation of cancer cell membranes, resulting in their apoptosis, but does not effect healthy cells.