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    Plasma-activation of larger liquid volumes by an inductively-limited discharge for antimicrobial purposes
    (Basel : MDPI, 2019) Schmidt, Michael; Hahn, Veronika; Altrock, Beke; Gerling, Torsten; Gerber, Ioana Cristina; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; von Woedtke, Thomas
    A new configuration of a discharge chamber and power source for the treatment of up to 1 L of liquid is presented. A leakage transformer, energizing two metal electrodes positioned above the liquid, limits the discharge current inductively by utilizing the weak magnetic coupling between the primary and secondary coils. No additional means to avoid arcing (electric short-circuiting), e.g., dielectric barriers or resistors, are needed. By using this technique, exceeding the breakdown voltage leads to the formation of transient spark discharges, producing non-thermal plasma (NTP). These discharges effected significant changes in the properties of the treated liquids (distilled water, physiological saline solution, and tap water). Considerable concentrations of nitrite and nitrate were detected after the plasma treatment. Furthermore, all tested liquids gained strong antibacterial efficacy which was shown by inactivating suspended Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Plasma-treated tap water had the strongest effect, which is shown for the first time. Additionally, the pH-value of tap water did not decrease during the plasma treatment, and its conductivity increased less than for the other tested liquids. © 2019 by the authors.
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    Tumor cytotoxicity and immunogenicity of a novel V-jet neon plasma source compared to the kINPen
    (London : Nature Publishing Group, 2021) Miebach, Lea; Freund, Eric; Horn, Stefan; Niessner, Felix; Sagwal, Sanjeev Kumar; von Woedtke, Thomas; Emmert, Steffen; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Clemen, Ramona; Schmidt, Anke; Gerling, Torsten; Bekeschus, Sander
    Recent research indicated the potential of cold physical plasma in cancer therapy. The plethora of plasma-derived reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) mediate diverse antitumor effects after eliciting oxidative stress in cancer cells. We aimed at exploiting this principle using a newly designed dual-jet neon plasma source (Vjet) to treat colorectal cancer cells. A treatment time-dependent ROS/RNS generation induced oxidation, growth retardation, and cell death within 3D tumor spheroids were found. In TUM-CAM, a semi in vivo model, the Vjet markedly reduced vascularized tumors' growth, but an increase of tumor cell immunogenicity or uptake by dendritic cells was not observed. By comparison, the argon-driven single jet kINPen, known to mediate anticancer effects in vitro, in vivo, and in patients, generated less ROS/RNS and terminal cell death in spheroids. In the TUM-CAM model, however, the kINPen was equivalently effective and induced a stronger expression of immunogenic cancer cell death (ICD) markers, leading to increased phagocytosis of kINPen but not Vjet plasma-treated tumor cells by dendritic cells. Moreover, the Vjet was characterized according to the requirements of the DIN-SPEC 91315. Our results highlight the plasma device-specific action on cancer cells for evaluating optimal discharges for plasma cancer treatment.