Cold-Atmospheric-Plasma-Treated MSCs Retain Stem Cell Phenotype and Trilineage Differentiation Potential

Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) is gaining interest as a biomedical technology due to its ability to modulate cellular behaviour through the controlled delivery of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), UV photons, and electric fields. This is particularly relevant to wound healing, where redox modulation can reduce microbial burden and promote tissue repair. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are key regulators of immune response and tissue regeneration, suggesting potential synergy between CAP and MSC-based approaches. However, before CAP can be incorporated into MSC-based approaches, it is essential to establish whether it compromises core MSC characteristics. This study investigated the effects of CAP on MSC viability, morphology, phenotype and multilineage differentiation potential. Adipose-derived immortalised MSCs were exposed to CAP using a helium plasma jet under optimised conditions and assessed for up to 72 h. CAP exposure produced treatment-time-dependent effects on metabolic activity and morphology, enabling the identification of a non-cytotoxic treatment window. Under mild conditions, CAP-treated MSCs maintained the characteristic MSC phenotype (CD73-, CD90-, and CD105-positive; HLA-DR- negative) and retained adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation capacity. These findings indicate that controlled CAP exposure preserves key MSC properties, supporting further investigation of CAP as a complementary tool for MSC-based wound healing applications.