Cold Plasma Therapy for Combatting Skin-related Biofilm Infections (original) (raw)

Brown, Jason ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8168-5333, Bakri, Ahmed, Baz, Abdullah, Short, Bryn, Jenkins, Toby, Short, Robert, Williams, Craig and Ramage, Gordon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0932-3514(2022) Cold Plasma Therapy for Combatting Skin-related Biofilm Infections. 7th European Congress on Biofilms, Eurobiofilms 2022, Mallorca, Spain, 31 Aug - 03 September 2022.

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Abstract

Introduction. Wound infections can be highly problematic to treat by clinicians. These can encompass diseases such as diabetic foot ulcers which are interkingdom in nature, but also nosocomial infections that are often driven by fungal microorganisms. Given the everincreasing pressures associated with antimicrobial resistance, there remains a need to move away from conventional antibiotic therapy for combatting such infections. One possible avenue involves the use of cold-activated plasma (CAP) which has been shown to exhibit antimicrobial attributes, whilst also contributing to skin healing and repair. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to test the killing efficacy and inhibitory effects of CAP on clinically relevant skin biofilms and assess the cytotoxicity of the treatment against host cells in vitro. Methods. Biofilms grown in a hydrogel matrix system were treated with CAP for a range of short-exposure times (< 5 minutes). Biofilm viability was determined using a range of conventional microbiological methodologies including live/dead quantitative PCR, whilst treated and untreated biofilms visualized using scanning electron microscopy. The cytotoxicity effects of the treatment were further assessed against skin-relevant host cells in vitro, utilising a range of immunological and molecular techniques. Results. CAP treatment of the biofilms resulted in reductions in viability and disruption to the cellular structure in cells embedded in the microbial community at a microscopic level. Assessment of the host response in two- and three-dimensional tissue models revealed CAP treatment possessed immunomodulatory effects against the host cells, whilst eliciting certain levels of cytotoxicity, all when compared to untreated controls. Conclusion. CAP treatment may provide a useful localized alternative to conventional antibiotics in targeting polymicrobial and/or fungal biofilms associated with chronic wounds or nosocomial-associated infections. However, further studies are required to assess whether CAP treatment is safe for use in humans, as not to be detrimental to the host microenvironment.

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