Cell proliferation following non-thermal plasma is related to reactive oxygen species induced fibroblast growth factor-2 release

Non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge plasma is currently being developed for a wide range of medical applications, including blood coagulation, malignant cell apoptosis, and wound healing. However, the effect of non-thermal plasma on the vasculature is unclear. Blood vessels are affected during plasma treatment of many tissues, and vessels themselves may be an important clinical plasma therapy target. We investigated the effect of non-thermal plasma treatment on endothelial cells, which line the inner surface of blood vessels. Non-thermal plasma treatment at short exposures (up to 30 seconds; 4 J/cm²) was relatively non-toxic to endothelial cells. Endothelial cells treated with plasma for 30 seconds demonstrated twice as much proliferation as untreated cells five days after plasma treatment. Proliferation was abrogated by a fibroblast growth factor-2 neutralizing antibody and reactive oxygen species inhibitors. This suggests that plasma-induced endothelial cell proliferation is caused by growth factor release following reactive oxygen species cell membrane damage. These data suggest that low power non-thermal plasma treatment is a potential novel therapy for promotion of endothelial cell mediated angiogenesis.