  Non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP) can be applied to living tissues and
cells as a novel technology for cancer therapy. Even though studies report on
the successful use of NTAP to directly irradiate cancer cells, this technology
can cause cell death only in the upper 3-5 cell layers. We report on a NTAP
argon solution generated in DI water for treating human gastric cancer cells
(NCl-N87). Our findings showed that the plasma generated in DI water during a
30-minute treatment had the strongest affect in inducing apoptosis in cultured
human gastric cancer cells. This result can be attributed to presence of
reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) produced in
water during treatment. Furthermore, the data showed that elevated levels of
RNS may play an even more significant role than ROS in the rate of apoptosis in
gastric cancer cells.

Tissues and Organs;Plasma Physics