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Now showing 1 - 10 of 48
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    The kINPen—a review on physics and chemistry of the atmospheric pressure plasma jet and its applications
    (Bristol : IOP Publ., 2018-5-16) Reuter, Stephan; von Woedtke, Thomas; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter
    The kINPen® plasma jet was developed from laboratory prototype to commercially available non-equilibrium cold plasma jet for various applications in materials research, surface treatment and medicine. It has proven to be a valuable plasma source for industry as well as research and commercial use in plasma medicine, leading to very successful therapeutic results and its certification as a medical device. This topical review presents the different kINPen plasma sources available. Diagnostic techniques applied to the kINPen are introduced. The review summarizes the extensive studies of the physics and plasma chemistry of the kINPen performed by research groups across the world, and closes with a brief overview of the main application fields.
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    Combining Biocompatible and Biodegradable Scaffolds and Cold Atmospheric Plasma for Chronic Wound Regeneration
    (Basel : Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI), 2021) Emmert, Steffen; Pantermehl, Sven; Foth, Aenne; Waletzko-Hellwig, Janine; Hellwig, Georg; Bader, Rainer; Illner, Sabine; Grabow, Niels; Bekeschus, Sander; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Jung, Ole; Boeckmann, Lars
    Skin regeneration is a quite complex process. Epidermal differentiation alone takes about 30 days and is highly regulated. Wounds, especially chronic wounds, affect 2% to 3% of the elderly population and comprise a heterogeneous group of diseases. The prevailing reasons to develop skin wounds include venous and/or arterial circulatory disorders, diabetes, or constant pressure to the skin (decubitus). The hallmarks of modern wound treatment include debridement of dead tissue, disinfection, wound dressings that keep the wound moist but still allow air exchange, and compression bandages. Despite all these efforts there is still a huge treatment resistance and wounds will not heal. This calls for new and more efficient treatment options in combination with novel biocompatible skin scaffolds. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) is such an innovative addition to the treatment armamentarium. In one CAP application, antimicrobial effects, wound acidification, enhanced microcirculations and cell stimulation can be achieved. It is evident that CAP treatment, in combination with novel bioengineered, biocompatible and biodegradable electrospun scaffolds, has the potential of fostering wound healing by promoting remodeling and epithelialization along such temporarily applied skin replacement scaffolds.
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    Abschlussbericht zum Verbundprojekt Campus PlasmaMed, Teilvorhaben Campus PlasmaMed 6
    (Hannover : Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB), 2011) Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter
    [no abstract available]
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    Quantification of the ozone and singlet delta oxygen produced in gas and liquid phases by a non-thermal atmospheric plasma with relevance for medical treatment
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature, 2018-8-15) Jablonowski, Helena; Santos Sousa, Joao; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Wende, Kristian; Reuter, Stephan
    In the field of plasma medicine, the identification of relevant reactive species in the liquid phase is highly important. To design the plasma generated species composition for a targeted therapeutic application, the point of origin of those species needs to be known. The dominant reactive oxygen species generated by the plasma used in this study are atomic oxygen, ozone, and singlet delta oxygen. The species density changes with the distance to the active plasma zone, and, hence, the oxidizing potential of this species cocktail can be tuned by altering the treatment distance. In both phases (gas and liquid), independent techniques have been used to determine the species concentration as a function of the distance. The surrounding gas composition and ambient conditions were controlled between pure nitrogen and air-like by using a curtain gas device. In the gas phase, in contrast to the ozone density, the singlet delta oxygen density showed to be more sensitive to the distance. Additionally, by changing the surrounding gas, admixing or not molecular oxygen, the dynamics of ozone and singlet delta oxygen behave differently. Through an analysis of the reactive species development for the varied experimental parameters, the importance of several reaction pathways for the proceeding reactions was evaluated and some were eventually excluded.
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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.
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    Periodic Exposure of Plasma-Activated Medium Alters Fibroblast Cellular Homoeostasis
    (Basel : Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI), 2022) Bhartiya, Pradeep; Kaushik, Neha; Nguyen, Linh N.; Bekeschus, Sander; Masur, Kai; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Kaushik, Nagendra Kumar; Choi, Eun Ha
    Excess amounts of redox stress and failure to regulate homeostatic levels of reactive species are associated with several skin pathophysiologic conditions. Nonmalignant cells are assumed to cope better with higher reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) levels. However, the effect of periodic stress on this balance has not been investigated in fibroblasts in the field of plasma medicine. In this study, we aimed to investigate intrinsic changes with respect to cellular proliferation, cell cycle, and ability to neutralize the redox stress inside fibroblast cells following periodic redox stress in vitro. Soft jet plasma with air as feeding gas was used to generate plasma-activated medium (PAM) for inducing redox stress conditions. We assessed cellular viability, energetics, and cell cycle machinery under oxidative stress conditions at weeks 3, 6, 9, and 12. Fibroblasts retained their usual physiological properties until 6 weeks. Fibroblasts failed to overcome the redox stress induced by periodic PAM exposure after 6 weeks, indicating its threshold potential. Periodic stress above the threshold level led to alterations in fibroblast cellular processes. These include consistent increases in apoptosis, while RONS accumulation and cell cycle arrest were observed at the final stages. Currently, the use of NTP in clinical settings is limited due to a lack of knowledge about fibroblasts’ behavior in wound healing, scar formation, and other fibrotic disorders. Understanding fibroblasts’ physiology could help to utilize nonthermal plasma in redox-related skin diseases. Furthermore, these results provide new information about the threshold capacity of fibroblasts and an insight into the adaptation mechanism against periodic oxidative stress conditions in fibroblasts.
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    Risk Evaluation of EMT and Inflammation in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Cells Following Plasma Treatment
    (Lausanne : Frontiers Media, 2020) Freund, Eric; Spadola, Chiara; Schmidt, Anke; Privat-Maldonado, Angela; Bogaerts, Annemie; Woedtke, Thomas von; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Heidecke, Claus-Dieter; Partecke, Lars-Ivo; Käding, André; Bekeschus, Sander
    The requirements for new technologies to serve as anticancer agents go far beyond their toxicity potential. Novel applications also need to be safe on a molecular and patient level. In a broader sense, this also relates to cancer metastasis and inflammation. In a previous study, the toxicity of an atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet in four human pancreatic cancer cell lines was confirmed and plasma treatment did not promote metastasis in vitro and in ovo. Here, these results are extended by additional types of analysis and new models to validate and define on a molecular level the changes related to metastatic processes in pancreatic cancer cells following plasma treatment in vitro and in ovo. In solid tumors that were grown on the chorion-allantois membrane of fertilized chicken eggs (TUM-CAM), plasma treatment induced modest to profound apoptosis in the tissues. This, however, was not associated with a change in the expression levels of adhesion molecules, as shown using immunofluorescence of ultrathin tissue sections. Culturing of the cells detached from these solid tumors for 6d revealed a similar or smaller total growth area and expression of ZEB1, a transcription factor associated with cancer metastasis, in the plasma-treated pancreatic cancer tissues. Analysis of in vitro and in ovo supernatants of 13 different cytokines and chemokines revealed cell line-specific effects of the plasma treatment but a noticeable increase of, e.g., growth-promoting interleukin 10 was not observed. Moreover, markers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a metastasis-promoting cellular program, were investigated. Plasma-treated pancreatic cancer cells did not present an EMT-profile. Finally, a realistic 3D tumor spheroid co-culture model with pancreatic stellate cells was employed, and the invasive properties in a gel-like cellular matrix were investigated. Tumor outgrowth and spread was similar or decreased in the plasma conditions. Altogether, these results provide valuable insights into the effect of plasma treatment on metastasis-related properties of cancer cells and did not suggest EMT-promoting effects of this novel cancer therapy. © Copyright © 2020 Freund, Spadola, Schmidt, Privat-Maldonado, Bogaerts, von Woedtke, Weltmann, Heidecke, Partecke, Käding and Bekeschus.
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    Non-thermal plasma treatment induces MAPK signaling in human monocytes
    (Berlin : de Gruyter, 2014) Bundscherer, Lena; Nagel, Stefanie; Hasse, Sybille; Tresp, Helena; Wende, Kristian; Walther, Reinhard; Reuter, Stephan; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Masur, Kai; Lindequist, Ulrike
    The application of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma raises a hope for the new wound healing strategies. Next to its antibacterial effect it is known to stimulate skin cells. However, monocytes are also needed for the complex process of a wound healing. This study investigates the impact of plasma on the intracellular signaling events in the primary human monocytes. The proliferative MEK-ERK (MAPK/ERK kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinase) pathway was activated by short plasma treatment times. In contrast, an induction of the apoptotic JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) cascade as well as activation of caspase 3 were observed after long plasma exposure. These findings indicate that monocytes can be differentially stimulated by plasma treatment and may contribute to the proper wound recovery.
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    InnoPlas - Innovative Atmosphärendruck-Plasmaprozesse für industrielle Anwendungen : Schlussbericht ; Pilotprojekte: ConPlas - plasmagestützte Dünnschichten, PLexc - plasmagestützte Lackierungen, ProTool - Entwicklungswerkzeuge zur Optimierung von Plasmaverfahren und -quellen ; ForMaT2
    (Hannover : Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB), 2011) Brandenburg, Ronny; Horn, Stefan; Krohmann, Udo; Rackow, Kristian; Uhrlandt, Dirk; Witt, Göran; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter
    [no abstract available]
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    Toxicity and Immunogenicity in Murine Melanoma following Exposure to Physical Plasma-Derived Oxidants
    (Austin, Tex. : Landes Bioscience, 2017) Bekeschus, Sander; Rödder, Katrin; Fregin, Bob; Otto, Oliver; Lippert, Maxi; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Wende, Kristian; Schmidt, Anke; Gandhirajan, Rajesh Kumar
    Metastatic melanoma is an aggressive and deadly disease. Therapeutic advance has been achieved by antitumor chemo- and radiotherapy. These modalities involve the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, affecting cellular viability, migration, and immunogenicity. Such species are also created by cold physical plasma, an ionized gas capable of redox modulating cells and tissues without thermal damage. Cold plasma has been suggested for anticancer therapy. Here, melanoma cell toxicity, motility, and immunogenicity of murine metastatic melanoma cells were investigated following plasma exposure in vitro. Cells were oxidized by plasma, leading to decreased metabolic activity and cell death. Moreover, plasma decelerated melanoma cell growth, viability, and cell cycling. This was accompanied by increased cellular stiffness and upregulation of zonula occludens 1 protein in the cell membrane. Importantly, expression levels of immunogenic cell surface molecules such as major histocompatibility complex I, calreticulin, and melanocortin receptor 1 were significantly increased in response to plasma. Finally, plasma treatment significantly decreased the release of vascular endothelial growth factor, a molecule with importance in angiogenesis. Altogether, these results suggest beneficial toxicity of cold plasma in murine melanomas with a concomitant immunogenicity of potential interest in oncology.