Recent advances in cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) for breast cancer therapy

Cell Biol Int. 2023 Feb;47(2):327-340. doi: 10.1002/cbin.11939. Epub 2022 Nov 7.

Abstract

The serious problems of conventional breast cancer therapy strategies such as drug resistance, severe side effects, and lack of selectivity prompted the development of various cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) devices. Due to its advanced technology, CAP can produce a unique environment rich in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), photons, charged ions, and an electric field, making it a promising revolutionary platform for cancer therapy. Despite substantial technological successes, CAP-based therapeutic systems are encounter with distinct limitations, including low control of the generated RONS, poor knowledge about its anticancer mechanisms, and challenges concerning designing, manufacturing, clinical translation, and commercialization, which must be resolved. The latest developments in CAP-based therapeutic systems for breast cancer treatment are discussed in this review. More significantly, the integration of CAP-based medicine approaches with other breast cancer therapies, including chemo- and nanotherapy is thoroughly addressed.

Keywords: breast cancer; cold atmospheric plasma (CAP); plasma medicine; reactive nitrogen species (RNS); reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Oxygen
  • Plasma Gases* / therapeutic use
  • Reactive Nitrogen Species
  • Reactive Oxygen Species

Substances

  • Plasma Gases
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • Reactive Nitrogen Species
  • Oxygen