title: Apoptosis of lung carcinoma cells induced by a flexible optical fiber-based cold microplasma.
abstract: Atmospheric pressure plasmas have been used as a therapy for cancer. However, the fairly large size and rigidity of present plasma-delivery systems obstructs the precise treatment of tumors in harder-to-reach internal organs such as the lungs, pancreas, and duodenum. In order to improve the targeted delivery of plasmas a highly flexible microplasma jet device is fabricated using a hollow-core optical fiber with an inner diameter of either 15 μm, 55 μm, or 200 μm. Described herein, based on this device, are results on lung carcinoma therapy using a microplasma cancer endoscope. Despite the small inner diameter and the low gas flow rate, the generated plasma jets are shown to be sufficiently effective to induce apoptosis, but not necrosis, in both cultured mouse lung carcinoma and fibroblast cells. Further, the lung carcinoma cells were found to be more sensitive to plasma treatment than the fibroblast cells based on the overall plasma dose conditions. This work enables directed cancer therapies using on highly flexible and precise hollow optical fiber-based plasma device and offers enhancements to microplasma cancer endoscopy using an improved method of plasma targeting and delivery.
authors.affiliation: Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA.
authors.forename: Jae Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ballato
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Foy
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Yanzhang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Jinhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Sung-O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017304:Annexin A5 / Q000032:analysis; D017209:Apoptosis; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003080:Cold Temperature; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D051379:Mice; D055100:Optical Fibers; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D017304:Annexin A5; D058626:Plasma Gases; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate