Research for healing mechanism clarification of wounds by plasma irradiation

Abstract

Plasma medicine is currently applied in clinical settings, in many cases, without any explanation for its mechanism. This study therefore aims to elucidate the mechanism of healing by plasma exposure in burn injury, by focusing on plasma wound healing. In preceding studies, it has been reported that atmospheric pressure plasma generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and that mild oxidative stress promotes cell proliferation, which suggests that oxidative stress may play a major role in the mechanism in which plasma exposure promotes healing burn injury. Based on these, we first measured superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, an oxidative stress marker, at burn injury sites that were artificially created on the back of rats. This enables semi-quantitative in vivo measurements of ROS, which is exceedingly difficult due to its chemical instability and high reactivity. We now report the results of comparative investigation of differences in SOD activity with and without plasma exposure.