Characterization and Assessment of Cold Plasma as a New Practical Approach for Cancer Cell Treatment

The unbalanced lifestyle and rampant use of modern medicine are the leading causes of life-threatening cancer disease prevalence. In the last few decades, chemotherapy and other medication techniques promised to cure cancer. However, cold plasma on cancer cell lines gets little attention due to a lack of understanding of the detailed mechanism of action. In the contemporary time frame, it is well established that cold plasma therapy is one of the best alternatives for treating cancer. The selectivity of cancer cells by plasma treatment has a unique potential as therapeutics in future clinical practices. In this study, we analyzed the potential of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) irradiated medium as a promising anti-cancer tool by using a high-voltage power source with a 20 kHz operating frequency. The discharge was generated with argon as working gas and characterized by optical emission spectroscopy. Eagle's minimum essential medium (EMEM) was treated with CAP utilizing argon as a plasma source at 2-3 kV for varied time durations (0 min, 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, and 5 min) to demonstrate the anti-cancer capabilities of CAP treated media. The treated media culture grows cervical cancer cells (HeLa), breast cancer cells (MCF-7), mouse fibroblast cell line (3T3), and the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was carried out to determine the cell viability and inhibition rate. Our results revealed a considerable difference in viability between cancer cells and normal cells as treatment time increases from 1 to 5 min. The cell viability for HeLa (15.23%) and MCF-7 (16.18%) as compared to 3T3 cells (134.56%). This study provides evidence for the potential of CAP-treated media as an avenue for an anti-cancer representative.