Cold Physical Plasma in Cancer Therapy: Mechanisms, Signaling, and Immunity

Table 1

Plasma devices and their characteristics and outcomes in tumor cells.

Plasma device	Gas/modality	ROS/RNS investigated	Species/cell or tissue type	Biological consequence			Ref.
				Proliferation	Apoptosis	Migration
Plasma jet	He/direct	O	Human (G361 melanoma)	↓	n.i.	↓	[4]
Plasma jet	He, O2/direct	O and OH	Human (HCT-116, SW480 colorectal carcinoma)	↓	↑	↓	[35]
Plasma jet	Ar/indirect	OH, singlet oxygen radicals, NO2	Human (NOS2, NOS3 epithelial ovarian carcinoma)	↓	↑	n.i.	[236]
Plasma jet	He, O2/direct	O and OH	Human (BHP10-3 and TPC1 thyroid papillary carcinoma cell lines)	=	=	↓	[73]
Plasma jet	Ar/indirect	H2O2	Human (SK-Mel-147 melanoma cell line)	=	=	-	[237]
Plasma jet	He/indirect	OH	Human (RPMI8226 and LP-1 MM cell line)	↓	↑	↓	[238]
Plasma jet	Ar/indirect	H2O2	Human (HEC-1 and GCIY endometrial and gastric cancer)	↓	n.i.	n.i.	[239]
Plasma jet	Air/indirect	H2O2	Human (ES2, SKOV3, and WI-38 cell lines)	=	↑	↓	[240]
Plasma jet	Air/direct and indirect	OH	Human (U87 MG brain cancer cells)	↓	↑	n.i.	[241]
DBD plasma	Air/direct	-	Human melanoma cell line (ATCC A2058)	n.i.	↑	n.i.	[14]
DBD plasma	Air/direct	O3, NO, HO2, H2O2, OH, O	Human (MCF10A breast cancer)	=	↑	n.i.	[12]
DBD plasma	Air/direct and indirect	O2^-, H2O2	Human (U87MG glioblastoma) and Human (HCT-116 colorectal carcinoma)	↓	↑	n.i.	[15]
DBD plasma	Air/direct	-	Human (T98G brain cancer cell line)	↓	↑	n.i.	[11]
DBD Plasma	Air/direct	-	Human (T98G malignant)	↓	n.i.	n.i.	[13]
DBD plasma	Air/direct	H2O2 and NOx	Human (H460 lung cancer cell lines)	n.i.	↑	↓	[10]
DBD plasma	Air/direct	H2O2, O3, OH	Human (A549 lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cells)	↓	↑	↓	[110]
DBD plasma	Air/indirect (plasma-treated macrophages)	N2	Human (U251MG and U87MG cells) cocultured with plasma-treated macrophages	↓	↑	↓	[178]

DBD: dielectric barrier discharge; HPMCs: human primary mesothelial cells; HEC-1: human endometrial carcinoma; PTL: plasma-treated liquid; ROS: reactive oxygen species; Ar: argon; He: helium; O₂: oxygen; N₂: nitrogen; NOx: nitric oxides; NO: nitric oxide; H₂O₂: hydrogen peroxide; HO₂: hyperoxide; O₃: ozone; O₂^-: superoxide; O: atomic oxygen; OH: hydroxyl radicals; NO₂: nitric dioxide; n.i.: not investigated.