Characterization of regulated cancer cell death pathways induced by the different modalities of non-thermal plasma treatment.

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) has shown promising anti-cancer effects, but there is still limited knowledge about the underlying cell death mechanisms induced by NTP and inherent differences between NTP treatment modalities. This study aimed to investigate four major regulated cell death (RCD) pathways, namely apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis, in melanoma cancer cells following NTP treatment, and to provide an overview of molecular mechanistic differences between direct and indirect NTP treatment modalities. To discriminate which cell death pathways were triggered after treatment, specific inhibitors of apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis were evaluated.

Acquired non-thermal plasma resistance mediates a shift towards aerobic glycolysis and ferroptotic cell death in melanoma.

Aims: To gain insights into the underlying mechanisms of NTP therapy sensitivity and resistance, using the first-ever NTP-resistant cell line derived from sensitive melanoma cells (A375).

Methods: Melanoma cells were exposed to NTP and re-cultured for 12 consecutive weeks before evaluation against the parental control cells. Whole transcriptome sequencing analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes and enriched molecular pathways.

Critical Evaluation of the Interaction of Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species with Blood to Inform the Clinical Translation of Nonthermal Plasma Therapy.

Non-thermal plasma (NTP), an ionized gas generated at ambient pressure and temperature, has been an emerging technology for medical applications. Through controlled delivery of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), NTP can elicit hormetic cellular responses, thus stimulating broad therapeutic effects. To enable clinical translation of the promising preclinical research into NTP therapy, a deeper understanding of NTP interactions with clinical substrates is profoundly needed.

Influence of Cell Type and Culture Medium on Determining Cancer Selectivity of Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment.

Increasing the selectivity of cancer treatments is attractive, as it has the potential to reduce side-effects of therapy. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel cancer treatment that disrupts the intracellular oxidative balance. Several reports claim CAP treatment to be selective, but retrospective analysis of these studies revealed discrepancies in several biological factors and culturing methods.