title: Investigating the Mutagenicity of a Cold Argon-Plasma Jet in an HET-MN Model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  So-called cold physical plasmas for biomedical applications generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and the latter can trigger DNA damage at high concentrations. Therefore, the mutagenic risks of a certified atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet (kINPen MED) and its predecessor model (kINPen 09) were assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inner egg membranes of fertilized chicken eggs received a single treatment with either the kINPen 09 (1.5, 2.0, or 2.5 min) or the kINPen MED (3, 4, 5, or 10 min). After three days of incubation, blood smears (panoptic May-Grünwald-Giemsa stain) were performed, and 1000 erythrocytes per egg were evaluated for the presence of polychromatic and normochromic nuclear staining as well as nuclear aberrations and binucleated cells (hen's egg test for micronuclei induction, HET-MN). At the same time, the embryo mortality was documented. For each experiment, positive controls (cyclophosphamide and methotrexate) and negative controls (NaCl-solution, argon gas) were included. Additionally, the antioxidant potential of the blood plasma was assessed by ascorbic acid oxidation assay after treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For both plasma sources, there was no evidence of genotoxicity, although at the longest plasma exposure time of 10 min the mortality of the embryos exceeded 40%. The antioxidant potential in the egg's blood plasma was not significantly reduced immediately (p = 0.32) or 1 h (p = 0.19) post exposure to cold plasma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The longest plasma treatment time with the kINPen MED was 5-10 fold above the recommended limit for treatment of chronic wounds in clinics. We did not find mutagenic effects for any plasma treatment time using the either kINPen 09 or kINPen MED. The data provided with the current study seem to confirm the lack of a genotoxic potential suggesting that a veterinary or clinical application of these argon plasma jets does not pose mutagenic risks.
authors: Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 49a, 17485 Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Kluge
authors: Leibniz-Institute for Plasma Science and Technology, ZIK plasmatis, Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 2, 17489 Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Sander
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8773-8862
authors: S
authors: Bekeschus
authors: Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 49a, 17485 Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Bender
authors: Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 49a, 17485 Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Hicham
authors: H
authors: Benkhai
authors: Department of Trauma and Reconstructive Surgery, University Medicine Greifswald, Sauerbruchstr., 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Axel
authors: A
authors: Sckell
authors: Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 49a, 17485 Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Harald
authors: H
authors: Below
authors: Department of Urology, University Medicine Greifswald, Sauerbruchstr., 17475 Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Matthias B
authors: MB
authors: Stope
authors: Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 49a, 17485 Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Axel
authors: A
authors: Kramer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001128:Argon; D002642:Chick Embryo; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D058626:Plasma Gases
chemical_list: D058626:Plasma Gases; D001128:Argon