Atmospheric pressure plasma jets protect brain cells during a stroke
Atmospheric pressure plasma jets protect brain cells during a stroke lead image
During an ischemic stroke, bloods supplies to specific regions of the brain are blocked. Neuronal cells are deprived of oxygen, glucose, and other nutrients, which leads to dysfunction and irreparable cerebral cell death.
Atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) jets provide a promising stroke treatment, especially since they are close to room temperature and easy to control. The jets are usually generated by applying a high electric field across noble gasses at atmospheric pressure.
Most studies applying the technology have been done in vitro but have shown the jets protect cells against injury after stroke. Extending the plasma jets for clinical treatment and use in animal models requires further information about the processes at work.
To move towards these goals, Yan et al. examined the mechanisms with which APPs protect cells under ischemic stroke conditions. The study is the first to investigate the intracellular targets of the plasma treatment.
The team placed neuronal cells in a humid hypoxic incubator, which simulated the lack of oxygen, glucose, and other nutrients after an ischemic stroke. They measured cell viability and death in response to the plasma jet treatment.
“APP jet emissions contain reactive nitrogen species and reactive oxygen species,” said author Xu Yan. “These reactive species at low levels could exert beneficial physiological functions but could lead to cell injuries at high doses. Therefore, the effects of the APPs on cells depends on the jet’s generation and the treatment conditions.”
The researchers plan to apply the plasma treatment to ischemic stroke animal models, with some experiments already in progress.
Source: “Mechanisms of atmospheric pressure plasma protection of neuronal cells under simulated ischemic stroke conditions,” by Xu Yan, Bingyan Yang, Jiting Ouyang, Chenyang Zhang, Yu Lai, Zhongfang Shi, Ruoyu Han, Wei Zhang, Fang Yuan, and Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov, AIP Advances (2022). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0064301 .
