Abstract
Non-invasive physical plasma (NIPP) generated by non-thermally operated electrosurgical argon plasma sources is a promising treatment for local chronic inflammatory, precancerous and cancerous diseases. NIPP-enabling plasma sources are highly available and medically approved. The purpose of this study is the investigation of the effects of non-thermal NIPP on cancer cell proliferation, viability and apoptosis and the identification of the underlying biochemical and molecular modes of action. For this, cervical cancer (CC) single cells and healthy human cervical tissue were analyzed by cell counting, caspase activity assays, microscopic and flow-cytometric viability measurements and molecular tissue characterization using Raman imaging. NIPP treatment caused an immediate and persisting decrease in CC cell growth and cell viability associated with significant plasma-dependent effects on lipid structures. These effects could also be identified in primary cells from healthy cervical tissue and could be traced into the basal cell layer of superficially NIPP-treated cervical mucosa. This study shows that NIPP treatment with non-thermally operated electrosurgical argon plasma devices is a promising method for the treatment of human mucosa, inducing specific molecular changes in cells.