Characterization of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet array and its application to cancer cell treatment using plasma activated medium

An atmospheric pressure plasma jet array source driven by a pulsed bipolar voltage of several tens of kilohertz was characterized and utilized for cancer cell treatment. Electrical and optical emission characteristics of plasma jet array were obtained as functions of the applied voltage, gas flow rate, and pulse frequency, and the optimal operating parameters were obtained. The emission intensities from reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in a gas phase, such as OH, NO, H, and O, were measured by optical emission spectroscopy. In the plasma-liquid interaction experiment, the OH concentration was measured using the TA solution. The nitrite concentration in the plasma treated media (DW, HBSS, and DMEM) was measured using Griess reaction assay. Human skin cancer cells injected with plasma treated liquid were observed for changes in cell viability using the MTS assay. The results demonstrate that the plasma jet array source can be a good candidate for delivering RONS to liquid for plasma activated medium (PAM).