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How Does Cold Plasma Work in Medicine?

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Textbook of Good Clinical Practice in Cold Plasma Therapy

Abstract

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS) are essential components of life. In contrast to the long-stated opinion that these reactive molecules are mere by-products of cellular respiration and tissue damage, this view has been updated in the last decade. ROS are critical signaling molecules regulating biochemical processes, and their production is an evolutionarily conserved and successful mechanism to fight infection. Therefore, the local level and activity of ROS and the enzymes generating them regulate health and disease as well as therapeutic outcomes with the latter. In a groundbreaking attempt to harness the therapeutic power of ROS, cold plasma technology generating a plethora of different types of ROS is introduced as a novel concept in medicine. By applying such ROS mixtures in a localized and controlled manner, this opens new avenues in the therapy of topical diseases, especially in dermatology. This chapter outlines the main principles of how cold plasmas work in medicine, including the well-studied contribution of ROS and recently emerging scientific evidence of other plasma components, possibly adding to the biomedical effects observed.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. ZIK Plasmatis, Leibniz-Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP) Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

      Sander Bekeschus

    2. ZIK Plasmatis, Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Greifswald, Germany

      Thomas von Woedtke

    3. ZIK Plasmatis, Leibniz-Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP Greifswald), Greifswald, Germany

      Anke Schmidt

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    1. Sander Bekeschus
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    2. Thomas von Woedtke
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    3. Anke Schmidt
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    Correspondence to Sander Bekeschus .

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    Editors and Affiliations

    1. Greifswald University Hospital, Greifswald, Germany

      Hans-Robert Metelmann

    2. Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Greifswald, Germany

      Thomas von Woedtke

    3. Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Greifswald, Germany

      Klaus-Dieter Weltmann

    4. University Medical Center Rostock, Rostock, Germany

      Steffen Emmert

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    Bekeschus, S., von Woedtke, T., Schmidt, A. (2022). How Does Cold Plasma Work in Medicine?. In: Metelmann, HR., von Woedtke, T., Weltmann, KD., Emmert, S. (eds) Textbook of Good Clinical Practice in Cold Plasma Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-87857-3_3

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