title: Porcine intact and wounded skin responses to atmospheric nonthermal plasma.
abstract: Thermal plasma is a valued tool in surgery for its coagulative and ablative properties. We suggested through in vitro studies that nonthermal plasma can sterilize tissues, inactive pathogens, promote coagulation, and potentiate wound healing. The present research was undertaken to study acute toxicity in porcine skin tissues. We demonstrate that floating electrode-discharge barrier discharge (FE-DBD) nonthermal plasma is electrically safe to apply to living organisms for short periods. We investigated the effects of FE-DBD plasma on Yorkshire pigs on intact and wounded skin immediately after treatment or 24h posttreatment. Macroscopic or microscopic histological changes were identified using histological and immunohistochemical techniques. The changes were classified into four groups for intact skin: normal features, minimal changes or congestive changes, epidermal layer damage, and full burn and into three groups for wounded skin: normal, clot or scab, and full burn-like features. Immunohistochemical staining for laminin layer integrity showed compromise over time. A marker for double-stranded DNA breaks, γ-H2AX, increased over plasma-exposure time. These findings identified a threshold for plasma exposure of up to 900s at low power and <120s at high power. Nonthermal FE-DBD plasma can be considered safe for future studies of external use under these threshold conditions for evaluation of sterilization, coagulation, and wound healing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Drexel University College of Medicine, 245 N 15th Street, Mail Stop 413, NCB Suite 7150, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Sameer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalghatgi
authors.forename: Danil
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dobrynin
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sensenig
authors.forename: Ekaternia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cerchar
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Podolsky
authors.forename: Essel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dulaimi
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paff
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wasko
authors.forename: Krishna Priya
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Arjunan
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fridman
authors.forename: Manjula
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balasubramanian
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ownbey
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Barbee
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fridman
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.forename: Suresh G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: Ari D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D007797:Laminin / Q000378:metabolism; D023421:Models, Animal; D010865:Pilot Projects; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D007797:Laminin; D058626:Plasma Gases