Enhancement of the drug sensitization of cancer cells by plasma‐activated saline

Abstract

AbstractPlasma‐activated solutions have promising applications in the biomedical field. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of plasma‐activated saline (PAS) for enhancing drug sensitivity in drug‐resistant cancer cells. Our data illustrated that He + air plasma jet irradiation can generate a variety of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species in saline. In vitro studies found that the addition of PAS to cell culture medium effectively enhanced the sensitivity of drug‐resistant cancer cells, thereby inducing complete inactivation of cancer cells by significantly increasing intracellular ROS levels in response to treatment with anticancer drugs. The results indicate that the synergistic effects of PAS and drugs could highlight a promising option for the future treatment of drug‐resistant cancer cells.