Cold plasma can help heal scars

Russian scientists from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), Joint Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences and Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. Gamaleya found that irradiation of cold plasma cells leads to regeneration and rejuvenation. This result can be used in the development of the course of the plasma treatment of non-healing wounds.

Today, many people around the world suffer from non-healing wounds as a consequence of diseases such as HIV, cancer, diabetes. Also elderly age problems often arise with regeneration of damaged tissues.

It is caused due to a result of vascular injury or disorders of the immune mechanisms.

Conventional methods such wounds are treated very turdno, and sometimes do not respond to treatment. Now on arms of doctors will rise in atmospheric pressure cold plasma - partially ionized gas at a temperature below 100 000 K. In modern generators receive it when it is earth temperatures - from 30 to 40 ° C.

According to Elena Perersen (co-author of the study and head of the Laboratory of cellular and molecular technologies MIPT): "The positive data, we observed after plasma treatment may be associated with activation of autophagy mechanism of cells, which leads to the fact that the cells are removed from the damaged organelles that resets the metabolic processes in the long run in a cage"

Scientists drew attention to the level of β-galactosidase (enzyme associated with the aging process), which is measured at pH 6.0 and is considered one of the markers of aging. With age, the concentration of this enzyme in the cell increases. After processing the plasma levels of this substance has been significantly reduced, which in combination with the extension of the exponential phase of growth culture under study may indicate functional activation of cells, in other words, their rejuvenation. Plasma kills microorganisms, but almost does not harm healthy tissues and organs. Participated in the test fibroblasts (connective tissue cells) and skin cells.

In the near future, scientists plan to conduct additional studies to understand the molecular mechanism of plasma treatment of the cells, and to explore the effectiveness of treatment, taking into account age.

Source:  Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics.