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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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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.
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    Tissue Tolerable Plasma (TTP) induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo
    (London : BioMed Central, 2012) Partecke, L.I.; Evert, K.; Haugk, J.; Doering, F.; Normann, L.; Diedrich, S.; Weiss, F.-U.; Evert, M.; Huebner, N.O.; Guenther, C.; Heidecke, C.D.; Kramer, A.; Bussiahn, R.; Weltmann, K.-D.; Pati, O.; Bender, C.; von Bernstorff, W.
    Background: The rate of microscopic incomplete resections of gastrointestinal cancers including pancreatic cancer has not changed considerably over the past years. Future intra-operative applications of tissue tolerable plasmas (TTP) could help to address this problem. Plasma is generated by feeding energy, like electrical discharges, to gases. The development of non-thermal atmospheric plasmas displaying spectra of temperature within or just above physiological ranges allows biological or medical applications of plasmas.Methods: We have investigated the effects of tissue tolerable plasmas (TTP) on the human pancreatic cancer cell line Colo-357 and PaTu8988T and the murine cell line 6606PDA in vitro (Annexin-V-FITC/DAPI-Assay and propidium iodide DNA staining assay) as well as in the in vivo tumour chorio-allantoic membrane (TUM-CAM) assay using Colo-357.Results: TTP of 20 seconds (s) induced a mild elevation of an experimental surface temperature of 23.7 degree Celsius up to 26.63+/-0.40 degree Celsius. In vitro TTP significantly (p=0.0003) decreased cell viability showing the strongest effects after 20s TTP. Also, TTP effects increased over time levelling off after 72 hours (30.1+/-4.4% of dead cells (untreated control) versus 78.0+/-9.6% (20s TTP)). However, analyzing these cells for apoptosis 10s TTP revealed the largest proportion of apoptotic cells (34.8+/-7.2%, p=0.0009 versus 12.3+/-6.6%, 20s TTP) suggesting non-apoptotic cell death in the majority of cells after 20s TTP. Using solid Colo-357 tumours in the TUM-CAM model TUNEL-staining showed TTP-induced apoptosis up to a depth of tissue penetration (DETiP) of 48.8+/-12.3μm (20s TTP, p<0.0001). This was mirrored by a significant (p<0.0001) reduction of Ki-67+ proliferating cells (80.9+/-13.2% versus 37.7+/-14.6%, p<0.0001) in the top cell layers as well as typical changes on HE specimens. The bottom cell layers were not affected by TTP.Conclusions: Our data suggest possible future intra-operative applications of TTP to reduce microscopic residual disease in pancreatic cancer resections. Further promising applications include other malignancies (central liver/lung tumours) as well as synergistic effects combining TTP with chemotherapies. Yet, adaptations of plasma sources as well as of the composition of effective components of TTP are required to optimize their synergistic apoptotic actions.
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    Repeated exposure of the oral mucosa over 12 months with cold plasma is not carcinogenic in mice
    (London : Nature Publishing Group, 2021) Evert, K.; Kocher, T.; Schindler, A.; Müller, M.; Müller, K.; Pink, C.; Holtfreter, B.; Schmidt, A.; Dombrowski, F.; Schubert, A.; von Woedtke, T.; Rupf, S.; Calvisi, D. F.; Bekeschus, S.; Jablonowski, L.
    Peri-implantitis may result in the loss of dental implants. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) was suggested to promote re-osseointegration, decrease antimicrobial burden, and support wound healing. However, the long-term risk assessment of CAP treatment in the oral cavity has not been addressed. Treatment with two different CAP devices was compared against UV radiation, carcinogen administration, and untreated conditions over 12 months. Histological analysis of 406 animals revealed that repeated CAP exposure did not foster non-invasive lesions or squamous cell carcinoma (SCCs). Carcinogen administration promoted non-invasive lesions and SCCs. Molecular analysis by a qPCR screening of 144 transcripts revealed distinct inflammatory profiles associated with each treatment regimen. Interestingly, CAP treatment of carcinogen-challenged mucosa did not promote but instead left unchanged or reduced the proportion of non-invasive lesions and SCC formation. In conclusion, repeated CAP exposure of murine oral mucosa was well tolerated, and carcinogenic effects did not occur, motivating CAP applications in patients for dental and implant treatments in the future.
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    Non-thermal plasma-treated solution demonstrates antitumor activity against pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2017) Liedtke, Kim Rouven; Bekeschus, Sander; Kaeding, André; Hackbarth, Christine; Kuehn, Jens-Peter; Heidecke, Claus-Dieter; von Bernstorff, Wolfram; von Woedtke, Thomas; Partecke, Lars Ivo
    Pancreatic cancer is associated with a high mortality rate. In advanced stage, patients often experience peritoneal carcinomatosis. Using a syngeneic murine pancreatic cancer cell tumor model, the effect of non-thermal plasma (NTP) on peritoneal metastatic lesions was studied. NTP generates reactive species of several kinds which have been proven to be of relevance in cancer. In vitro, exposure to both plasma and plasma-treated solution significantly decreased cell viability and proliferation of 6606PDA cancer cells, whereas mouse fibroblasts were less affected. Repeated intraperitoneal treatment of NTP-conditioned medium decreased tumor growth in vivo as determined by magnetic resonance imaging, leading to reduced tumor mass and improved median survival (61 vs 52 days; p < 0.024). Tumor nodes treated by NTP-conditioned medium demonstrated large areas of apoptosis with strongly inhibited cell proliferation. Contemporaneously, no systemic effects were found. Apoptosis was neither present in the liver nor in the gut. Also, the concentration of different cytokines in splenocytes or blood plasma as well as the distribution of various hematological parameters remained unchanged following treatment with NTP-conditioned medium. These results suggest an anticancer role of NTP-treated solutions with little to no systemic side effects being present, making NTP-treated solutions a potential complementary therapeutic option for advanced tumors.
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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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    Cytochrome C oxidase Inhibition and Cold Plasma-derived Oxidants Synergize in Melanoma Cell Death Induction
    ([London] : Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature, 2018-8-24) Gandhirajan, Rajesh Kumar; Rödder, Katrin; Bodnar, Yana; Pasqual-Melo, Gabriella; Emmert, Steffen; Griguer, Corinne E.; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Bekeschus, Sander
    Despite striking advances in the treatment of metastasized melanoma, the disease is often still fatal. Attention is therefore paid towards combinational regimens. Oxidants endogenously produced in mitochondria are currently targeted in pre-clinical and clinical studies. Cytotoxic synergism of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) inhibition in conjunction with addition of exogenous oxidants in 2D and 3D melanoma cell culture models were examined. Murine (B16) and human SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells exposed to low-dose CcO inhibitors (potassium cyanide or sodium azide) or exogenous oxidants alone were non-toxic. However, we identified a potent cytotoxic synergism upon CcO inhibition and plasma-derived oxidants that led to rapid onset of caspase-independent melanoma cell death. This was mediated by mitochondrial dysfunction induced by superoxide elevation and ATP depletion. This observation was validated by siRNA-mediated knockdown of COX4I1 in SK-MEL-28 cells with cytotoxicity in the presence of exogenous oxidants. Similar effects were obtained with ADDA 5, a recently identified specific inhibitor of CcO activity showing low toxicity in vivo. Human keratinocytes were not affected by this combinational treatment, suggesting selective effects on melanoma cells. Hence, targeting mitochondrial CcO activity in conjunction with exogenous pro oxidant therapies may constitute a new and effective melanoma treatment modality.