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Floating electrode–dielectric barrier discharge-based plasma promotes skin regeneration in a full-thickness skin defect mouse model

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Abstract

Wound healing involves a complex and dynamic interplay among various cell types, cytokines, and growth factors. Macrophages and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) play an essential role in different phases of wound healing. Cold atmospheric plasma has a wide range of applications in the treatment of chronic wounds. Hence, we aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of a custom-made plasma device in a full-thickness skin defect mouse model. Here, we investigated the wound tissue on days 6 and 12 using histology, qPCR, and western blotting. During the inflammation phase of wound repair, macrophages play an important role in the onset and resolution of inflammation, showing decreased F4/80 on day 6 of plasma treatment and increased TGF-β1 levels. The plasma-treated group showed better epidermal epithelialization, dermal fibrosis, collagen maturation, and reduced inflammation than the control group. Our findings revealed that floating electrode-dielectric barrier discharge (FE-DBD)-based atmospheric-pressure plasma promoted significantly faster wound healing in the plasma-treated group than that in the control group with untreated wounds. Hence, plasma treatment accelerated wound healing processes without noticeable side effects and suppressed pro-inflammatory genes, suggesting that FE-DBD-based plasma could be a potential therapeutic option for treating various wounds.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge Dr. Mohd Farhan for valuable discussions.

Funding

This work was partially supported by the Soonchunhyang University Research Fund and the National Research Foundation of Korea funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (grant numbers:2021R1I1A3048885, 2021-DD-RD-0480, and 2019R1A5A8083404).

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Author notes

  1. Mohana Devi Subramaniam, Joon Suk Bae, and Jiwon Son have contributed equally to this study.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-bio Science (SIMS), Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan-si, Chungnam-do, 31151, Republic of Korea

    Mohana Devi Subramaniam, Jiwon Son, Laurensia Danis Anggradita, Min-Kyu Kim, Min Yong Lee & Yongsung Hwang

  2. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 14584, Republic of Korea

    Mohana Devi Subramaniam, Joon Suk Bae & Seung Min Nam

  3. Department of Integrated Biomedical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan-si, Chungnam-do, 31538, Republic of Korea

    Laurensia Danis Anggradita, Min Yong Lee & Yongsung Hwang

  4. HK-MnS Co. Ltd., Osan-si, Gyeonggi-do, 18111, Republic of Korea

    Seokyoon Jang & Kwangok Choi

  5. The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Justine C. Lee

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  1. Mohana Devi Subramaniam
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Correspondence to Seung Min Nam or Yongsung Hwang.

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Subramaniam, M.D., Bae, J.S., Son, J. et al. Floating electrode–dielectric barrier discharge-based plasma promotes skin regeneration in a full-thickness skin defect mouse model. Biomed. Eng. Lett. 14, 605–616 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13534-024-00356-5

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