Method for Plasma Control of Fibrosis Signaling

Abstract

Fibrosis, a wound healing disorder is linked to an imbalance in redox signaling. In this work we develop a new methodology to influence and study cell signaling based on exogenous supply of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species by cold plasma. Cold plasma is an electrically activated gas that contains highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. We demonstrate that cell responses ranging from shifts in protein expression to changes in metabolic activity and molecular transport can be altered by specifically controlled plasma composition. First, we show that the composition of plasma can be changed from reactive oxygen to reactive nitrogen species. Treating fibroblasts, connective tissue cells, with these different plasmas, it is shown that there are differences in cellular responses: differences in collagen protein secretion measured with immunohistochemistry and in hydrogen peroxide extracellular concentrations measured with colorimetry technique. These findings demonstrate that distinct plasma regimes can trigger tailored cellular responses, laying the groundwork for personalized plasma medicine, where treatment parameters are fine-tuned according to the therapeutic goals.