The Effects of Irradiation with Cold Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma on Cellular Function

Plasma is the fourth state of matter. Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma (CAP) is one of the weakly ionized electrical discharges, which is artificially produced by certain devices at atmospheric pressure. CAP has been used in various biological and medical applications. CAP generates a large number of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), including hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion, singlet oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen trioxide, nitrous oxide, and dinitrogen tetroxide. RONS, produced by CAP, are the key molecules responsible for its biological activities and beneficial effects. However, the details of CAP-induced RONS, and their effects on intracellular processes (organelle response to CAP treatment), are not fully understood. Several studies have shown that CAP up- or down-regulate cellular functions through the modification of biomolecules such as nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), proteins, and lipids. Thereby modulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. In this chapter, we discuss the biological activities of CAP in terms of the cellular response to it. Understanding of the CAP-mediated regulation of cellular function would be useful in the developing novel treatment modalities for diseases associated with the redox signaling.