Investigation of the antimicrobial activity at safe levels for eukaryotic cells of a low power atmospheric pressure inductively coupled plasma source

Low power atmospheric pressure inductively coupled thermal plasma sources integrated with a quenching device (cold ICP) for the efficient production of biologically active agents have been recently developed for potential biomedical applications. In the present work, in vitro experiments aimed at assessing the decontamination potential of a cold ICP source were carried out on bacteria typically associated with chronic wounds and designed to represent a realistic wound environment; further in vitro experiments were performed to investigate the effects of plasma-irradiated physiological saline solution on eukaryotic cells viability. A thorough characterization of the plasma source and process, for what concerns ultraviolet (UV) radiation and nitric oxide production as well as the variation of pH and the generation of nitrates and nitrites in the treated liquid media, was carried out to garner fundamental insights that could help the interpretation of biological experiments. Direct plasma treatment of bacter...