Sun Ja Kim

Reactive oxygen species-related plasma effects on the apoptosis of human bladder cancer cells in atmospheric pressure pulsed plasma jets

Helium/oxygen atmospheric pressure plasma jets driven by pulsed dc voltage with repetition rate of several tens of kilohertz are utilized for plasma-cell interactions. The effect of operating parameters on the apoptosis of cultured human bladder (EJ) cancer cells is investigated. The parameters such as applied voltage, pulse repetition frequency, and duty ratio determine the plasma dose. The apoptotic changes in cells with plasma treatment are detected by staining assay and flow cytometry. Apoptosis rates are observed to correlate well with both the plasma dose and the levels of intracellular and extracellular reactive oxygen species.

Bacterial inactivation using atmospheric pressure single pin electrode microplasma jet with a ground ring

Bacterial inactivation experiment was performed using atmospheric pressure microplasma jets driven by radio-frequency wave of 13.56 MHz and by low frequency wave of several kilohertz. With addition of a ground ring electrode, the discharge current, the optical emission intensities from reactive radicals, and the sterilization efficiency were enhanced significantly. When oxygen gas was added to helium at the flow rate of 5 SCCM, the sterilization efficiency was enhanced. From the survival curve of Escherichia coli, the primary role in the inactivation was played by reactive species with minor aid from heat, UV photons, charged particles, and electric fields.

Optical and electrical characterization of an atmospheric pressure microplasma jet with a capillary electrode

A microplasma jet with a capillary electrode working at atmospheric pressure is developed to create nonthermal plasma. This jet can be operated at an excitation frequency either in several tens of kilohertz ac range (or pulsed voltage with a repetition rate of kilohertz range) or in radio-frequency range. The working gas, helium or argon, and the additive gas, oxygen, are fed into the plasma jet. The discharge has been characterized by optical emission spectroscopy. The electrical property of the discharge has been studied by means of voltage and current probes. The dynamic nature of the plume is investigated by using intensified charged coupled device camera. The electron temperature is estimated from the modified Boltzmann plot method utilizing the Ar 4p→4s transitions. The plume temperature is determined by using the fitting the fine structure of the emission bands of OH molecules and by utilizing the line shape of the transition. They are compared with the results obtained by optical fiber thermometer...

Effect of additive oxygen gas on cellular response of lung cancer cells induced by atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet

The atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet driven by pulsed dc voltage was utilized to treat human lung cancer cells in vitro. The properties of plasma plume were adjusted by the injection type and flow rate of additive oxygen gas in atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet. The plasma characteristics such as plume length, electric current and optical emission spectra (OES) were measured at different flow rates of additive oxygen to helium. The plasma plume length and total current decreased with an increase in the additive oxygen flow rate. The electron excitation temperature estimated by the Boltzmann plot from several excited helium emission lines increased slightly with the additive oxygen flow. The oxygen atom density in the gas phase estimated by actinometry utilizing argon was observed to increase with the additive oxygen flow. The concentration of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) measured by fluorescence assay was found to be not exactly proportional to that of extracellular ROS (measured by OES), but both correlated considerably. It was also observed that the expression levels of p53 and the phospho-p53 were enhanced in the presence of additive oxygen flow compared with those from the pure helium plasma treatment.

Striation and plasma bullet propagation in an atmospheric pressure plasma jet

An atmospheric pressure plasma jet source driven by pulsed wave of several tens of kilohertz and by sinusoidal wave was designed and characterized. A newly designed jet consists of a sharpened tungsten pin electrode covered with a cone type Teflon layer confined in a Pyrex tube. This structure provides an efficient ignition since the electric field is concentrated on the end of electrode. Using the electrical and optical characterization, the properties of plasma bullet were explored. For the Ar plasma jet driven by a pulsed wave at low duty cycles, the volume, the speed, and the luminosity of the plasma bullet became larger, and the striation behavior was observed.

Comparison of the characteristics of atmospheric pressure plasma jets using different working gases and applications to plasma-cancer cell interactions

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets employing nitrogen, helium, or argon gases driven by low-frequency (several tens of kilohertz) ac voltage and pulsed dc voltage were fabricated and characterized. The changes in discharge current, optical emission intensities from reactive radicals, gas temperature, and plume length of plasma jets with the control parameters were measured and compared. The control parameters include applied voltage, working gas, and gas flow rate. As an application to plasma-cancer cell interactions, the effects of atmospheric pressure plasma jet on the morphology and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level of human lung adenocarcinoma cell (A549) and human bladder cancer cell (EJ) were explored. The experimental results show that the plasma can effectively control the intracellular concentrations of ROS. Although there exist slight differences in the production of ROS, helium, argon, or nitrogen plasma jets are found to be useful in enhancing the intracellular ROS concentrations in cancer cells.

Plasma effects on the generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in cancer cells in-vitro exposed by atmospheric pressure pulsed plasma jets

Atmospheric pressure pulsed helium plasma jets are utilized for plasma-cell interactions. The effect of operating parameters such as applied voltage, pulse repetition frequency, and duty ratio on the generation of specific reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in gas and liquid phases and within cells is investigated. The apoptotic changes detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay in cells caused by plasma exposure are observed to correlate well with the levels of extracellular and intracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.

Effects of the electrical parameters and gas flow rate on the generation of reactive species in liquids exposed to atmospheric pressure plasma jets

In this work, an atmospheric pressure plasma jet was fabricated and studied for plasma–liquid interactions. The plasma jet consists of a quartz-covered pin electrode and outer quartz tube with a tapered nozzle. Using the current–voltage (I-V) and optical emission characteristics of the plasma jet, the plasma density and the speed of the plume were investigated. The optical emission spectra clearly indicated the excited NO, O, OH, N2, and N2+ in the plasma plumes. Then the plasma jets were applied to the deionized water. We investigated the effects of the operating parameters such as applied voltage, pulse frequency, and gas flow rate on the generation of reactive species in the gas and liquid phases. The densities of reactive species including OH radicals were obtained at the plasma–liquid surface and inside the plasma-treated liquids using ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy and chemical probe method. The nitrite concentration was detected by Griess assay. The data are very suggestive that there is a str...

Effects of Dielectric Tube Shape and Pin-Electrode Diameter on the Plasma Plume in Atmospheric Pressure Helium Plasma Jets

This paper explores the effects of tube shape and pin electrode diameter on the plume generation and electrical characteristics in atmospheric pressure helium plasma jets generated from a centered-pin electrode inside a dielectric tube. The quartz-covered (or bare) pin electrode and different shapes of the dielectric tube (straight cylinder or conical shape) are employed and their effects are investigated. Optical emission spectra are obtained at different positions along the coaxial direction to determine the axial distributions of the electron excitation temperature for the straight cylinder and conical jets. The rotational temperatures for the both jets are also compared.

Effects of the pulse width on the reactive species production and DNA damage in cancer cells exposed to atmospheric pressure microsecond-pulsed helium plasma jets

Plasma-liquid and plasma-cell interactions were investigated using an atmospheric pressure dc microsecond-pulsed helium plasma jet. We investigated the effects of the electrical parameters such as applied voltage and pulse width (determined by the pulse frequency and duty ratio) on the production of reactive species in the gas/liquid phases and on the DNA damage responses in the cancer cells. The densities of reactive species including OH radicals were estimated inside the plasma-treated liquids using a chemical probe method, and the nitrite concentration was detected by Griess assay. Importantly, the more concentration of OH resulted in the more DNA base oxidation and breaks in human lung cancer A549 cells. The data are very suggestive that there is strong correlation between the production of OH in the plasmas/liquids and the DNA damage.