Cell proliferation following non-thermal plasma is related to reactive oxygen species induced fibroblast growth factor-2 release.

Non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma is currently being developed for a wide range of medical applications, including blood coagulation, malignant cell apoptosis, and wound healing. However, the effect of non-thermal plasma on the vasculature is unclear. Blood vessels are affected during plasma treatment of many tissues, and vessels themselves may be an important clinical plasma therapy target.

Non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment of endothelial cells.

Non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma is now being widely developed for various medical applications such as skin sterilization, blood coagulation, induction of apoptosis in malignant tissues, and wound healing among others. In this paper, we investigate the toxicity of non-thermal plasma treatment on endothelial cells, which line all blood contacting surfaces in the body. Our initial results indicate that low power non-thermal plasma is relatively non-toxic to endothelial cells at short exposure times up to 30 s, while non-thermal plasma treatment at longer exposure times is cytotoxic.