# Penetration depth of cold atmospheric plasma into biological tissue: a review

**Authors:** Dong Jiang, Jiashuo Zhang, Zhixin Liu, Yilin Yu, Li Xiao, Mi Ai, Ming Luo, Ollie Yiru Yu, Yingguang Cao, Ke Song

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2026.1764941 · Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology · 2026-02-16

## TL;DR

This review examines how deep cold atmospheric plasma can penetrate biological tissue and how to adjust its parameters for safer and more effective medical treatments.

## Contribution

The paper systematically reviews and analyzes factors affecting CAP penetration depth to guide clinical application standardization.

## Key findings

- CAP penetration depth varies depending on application parameters and tissue type.
- Key factors influencing penetration include plasma jet design, gas composition, and treatment duration.
- Adjusting these factors can optimize CAP for specific therapeutic needs.

## Abstract

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a non-thermal plasma generated near room temperature that has broad medical applications in the medical field, including antitumor, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects, promotion of tissue regeneration, and enhancement of transdermal and mucosal drug delivery. However, there is currently a lack of standardization regarding the indications for CAP and its application parameters, resulting in varying degrees of histological penetration depths reported in different studies. Therefore, to further promote the safe and effective clinical application of CAP, the histological levels at which CAP can be applied must be clearly defined. Here, we review the depth of tissue penetration achieved by CAP under various conditions and analyze the key factors influencing penetration depth, using this knowledge to propose how these factors should be adjusted for different application requirements to achieve safer and more precise therapies.

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** CDH1 (cadherin 1) [NCBI Gene 999] {aka Arc-1, BCDS1, CD324, CDHE, ECAD, LCAM}
- **Diseases:** RONS (MESH:D000860), sensory abnormalities (MESH:D012678), cancer (MESH:D009369), inflammation (MESH:D007249), pain (MESH:D010146), mitochondrial dysfunction (MESH:D028361), erythema (MESH:D004890), periodontal disease (MESH:D010510), necrosis (MESH:D009336), CAP (MESH:D000067390), oedema (MESH:C536897), blood coagulation (MESH:D001778), infected (MESH:D007239), dehydration (MESH:D003681), cytotoxicity (MESH:D064420), oral mucosal disorders (MESH:D013280)
- **Chemicals:** isatin (MESH:D007510), NO3 - (MESH:C038619), cholesterol (MESH:D002784), 2',7'-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein (MESH:C065013), distilled water (MESH:D014867), 10-Acetyl-3,7-Dihydroxyphenoxazine (MESH:C470430), Griess reagent (MESH:C095000), DCFH-DA (MESH:C029569), DPD (MESH:C036020), FITC (MESH:D016650), NO2 - (MESH:D009585), nitrogen (MESH:D009584), 3-Aminophthalhydrazide (MESH:C032487), 2',7'-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein Diacetate (MESH:C110400), metal (MESH:D008670), NaCl (MESH:D012965), DHE (MESH:C067883), O (MESH:D010100), 5(6)-Carboxyfluorescein (MESH:C024098), PBS (MESH:D007854), glucose (MESH:D005947), Ar (MESH:D001128), ROS (MESH:D017382), Luminol (MESH:D008165), dihydrorhodamine 123 (MESH:C058319), luciferins (MESH:D000090562), KI- (MESH:C066186), lipid (MESH:D008055), OH (MESH:C031356), Azo dye (MESH:D001391), Agarose (MESH:D012685), 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (MESH:C011238), peroxide (MESH:D010545), resorufin (MESH:C014180), RNS (MESH:D026361), Nitrite (MESH:D009573), OPD (MESH:C034193), starch (MESH:D013213), chlorine (MESH:D002713), Azulene (MESH:C005525), 2,3-diaminophenazine (MESH:C054312), H2O2 (MESH:D006861), O3 (MESH:D010126), APPJ (-), superoxide (MESH:D013481), Lucigenin (MESH:C033472), dextran (MESH:D003911), He (MESH:D006371), NO (MESH:D009614), CF (MESH:C045132)
- **Species:** Sus scrofa (pig, species) [taxon 9823], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Bacteria Latreille et al. 1825 (Bacteria stick insect, genus) [taxon 629395], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

139 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12950767/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12950767