Controlling plasma-activated solution chemistry for targeted cancer cell death

Plasma-activated solutions (PAS) are attracting attention in biomedicine, however their complexity necessitates a greater understanding of both the plasma activation process and the selected starting solution. Here, five solutions, including deionized water, saline, PB, PBS, and RPMI 1640, were treated to investigate the physicochemical properties and anticancer effects. The findings show that the different solutions largely affected the gas–liquid interaction reactions and the color penetration distribution of H₂O₂ and NO₂−. The anticancer effects are in the order of DI > PB≈saline> PBS > RPMI 1640, attributed to the important role of H₂O₂ and NO₂− in inactivating cancer cells. This study provides insights into designing and applying PAS in practical anticancer therapy.