Cold plasma enhances the generation of reactive oxygen species and the uptake of nanoparticles in cancer cells.

Objectives: Cold plasma, which is a rich source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and also generates them when it comes into contact with cells, is being investigated for its potential to target cancer cells. ROS are crucial in causing tumor damage and are divided into long- and short-term species. Among them, the analysis of short-lived radicals such as hydroxyl radicals (HO Methods: The research involved testing efficiency with an MTT assay on melanoma cells and selectivity on healthy fibroblast cells. Flow cytometry measured apoptosis rates, whereas a chemical dosimeter measured the amount of free radicals generated in each treatment group. The average gold content absorbed in each cell was measured with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) with and without cold plasma therapy. Results: The findings demonstrated that while cold plasma caused cancer cells to undergo apoptosis, healthy cells remained unaffected. This effect was greatest when GNPs were used. The presence of cold plasma led to the significant production of HO Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the approach of combining GNPs and cold plasma could offer an optimized targeted therapeutic option for addressing the challenges associated with melanoma management.