title: Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas as a novel candidate for preventive therapy of melanoma.
abstract: Due to the increased ultraviolet radiation, the incidence of melanoma is increasing worldwide more than that of any other cancer. In this study, the effects of irradiation of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas (NEAPPs) on benign melanocytic tumors from our original hairless model mice (HL-RET-mice), in which benign melanocytic tumors and melanomas spontaneously develop in the skin stepwise, were examined. Expression levels of melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) mRNA in melanomas were higher than those in benign melanocytic tumors in the mice. Repeated irradiation of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas (NEAPPs) for the benign tumors decreased the expression levels of MCAM and MMP-2 mRNA in the tumors from the mice. Previous studies showed that MCAM sites are upstream of MMP-2, that MCAM regulates transcription of MMP-2 in melanoma cells and that MMP-2 is associated with the conversion of a benign tumor to a malignant tumor. Therefore, our results suggest that the NEAPP irradiation-mediated decrease in the expression level of MMP-2 in benign melanocytic tumors is associated with decreased expression levels of MCAM. Moreover, NEAPP irradiation might be a potential candidate for therapy to prevent melanoma development through suppression of malignant conversion in benign melanocytic tumors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Omata
authors.forename: Machiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yajima
authors.forename: Kozue
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Nobutaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohgami
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hori
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D051929:CD146 Antigen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000528:radiation effects; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D051379:Mice; D008812:Mice, Hairless; D058626:Plasma Gases / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000532:radiotherapy*
chemical_list: D051929:CD146 Antigen; C497903:Mcam protein, mouse; D058626:Plasma Gases; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020778:Matrix Metalloproteinase 2; C522362:Mmp2 protein, mouse