Chapters authored
Physicochemical Analysis of Argon Plasma-Treated Cell Culture Medium
The effects of cold plasma under atmospheric pressure are being explored for medical applications. It was found that plasma effects on cells correspond to a plasma–medium interaction; thus, plasma-treated cell culture medium alone is able to influence the cell behavior. Here, we discovered that the liquid-mediated effect of atmospheric-pressure argon plasma on mouse liver epithelial cells persists up to 21 days of storage; i.e., the liquid preserves the characteristics once induced by the argon plasma. Earlier investigations of our group revealed that temperature and pH, hydrogen peroxide production and oxygen content can be excluded as initiators of the detrimental biological changes. As we found here, the increased osmolality in the media caused by plasma treatment can also be excluded as a reason for the observed cell effects. Conversely, we found changes in the components of cell culture medium by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) and decreased cell viability in plasma-treated media independent of the presence of fetal calf serum (FCS) during plasma treatment. The persistent biological effect on plasma-treated liquids observed here could open up new medical applications. Stable plasma-treated liquids could find application for dermatological, dental, or orthopedic therapy.
Part of the book: Plasma Science and Technology