Microwave study of the effect of cold argon plasma on functional state of rat’s skin

Abstract

The purpose of this study was a comparative study of the dielectric parameters of rat skin when treated with argon and argon cold plasma. The experiment was performed on 40 male Wistar rats divided into 4 equal groups. The first group of animals (n=10) was a control (intact). The rats of the remaining groups (n=10 in each) were treated daily with a pre-epilated area of the skin of the back (area = 1x1 cm). The duration of the course for all experienced groups is 10 procedures. Animals of the second group were treated with a non–ionized argon stream (the duration of one procedure was 1 minute), rats of the third and fourth groups were treated with argon cold plasma (1 and 2 minutes, respectively). Cold plasma generation was performed using a device using the principle of microwave ionization of a gas stream. Argon of high purity (99.99%) was used as the latter. The dielectric parameters of the skin of animals in the treated area (in control group rats – at a similar point in the back) were evaluated upon completion of a full course of exposure. For this purpose, a specialized software and hardware complex was used, providing near-field resonant microwave probing of biological tissues. It was found that the course treatment of the skin of the back of rats with gas streams with different ionization causes the formation of a specific functional-metabolic and morpho-structural response. Its character is determined by the parameters of the gas flow used: non-ionized argon significantly reduces the dielectric parameters (permeability and conductivity), and the result of the action of cold argon plasma depends on the exposure. During one-minute treatment, tissue permeability was observed to remain intact with a moderate decrease in conductivity. In the case of an increase in the exposure time to 2 minutes, the dielectric constant increased, and the conductivity remained unchanged.