Immuno-modulatory effect of bio-plasma against cancer and other dreadful disease

Abstract

The application of plasma medicine technology has been actively explored over last several years. Recently, non-thermal plasma has demonstrated potential as a safe anticancer therapeutic approach that can kill various types of cancer targets [1-4]. There is the urgent need of new human health care’s technology against cancers based on immuno-modulations. Main target of our study is to enhance efficacy and selectivity of plasma on cancer cells and cancer microenvironment by inducing immune-modulations. Fundamental insights on the cold plasma interactions with the immune cells and cancer micro-environment can clarify the basic mechanisms of plasma induced immune-stimulation. Recent preliminary study suggests that plasma significantly modulated immune cells and can induce cancer cell death in co-culture condition [5-7]. In one of our recent studies, using a monocyte cell model, we show that cold plasma activates the differentiation of monocytes into a macrophage-like phenotype and can increase mitochondrial/lysosomal numbers, suggesting that plasma may stimulate macrophage differentiation or activation. In turn, the interaction of plasma-activated macrophage cells reduced pro-tumorigenic features such as epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) and the stem-like population of tumor cells. Furthermore, plasma targeted macrophage activity and consequently enhanced apoptosis via expression of the TNF-α/NOS+ M1-like phenotype. In another study we have evaluated role of plasma induced damage associated molecular patterns/ immunogenic cell death in immune activation and cancer treatment in skin and oral cancer models. We have also initiated a study on plasma induced immuno-modulations for treatment of atopic dermatitis skin disorder. Present research work mainly comprises plasma induced activation of immune cells; which find applications for curing various kinds of resistant tumors and other dreadful diseases. Our main objectives are (i) to clarify basic mechanism on plasma induced immuno-modulations (ii) to develop immunomodulation based strategy for the treatment of various dreadful diseases including cancers (iii) to initiate clinical trial based on pre-clinical study.