The Growing Use of Plasma Medicine

Abstract

Natural existence of plasma (a mixture of electrons, ions and neutral atoms) in the universe as a whole and its artificial generation on the earth in particular, has always been a subject of research interest. Plasma based technologies can offer enhanced quality of care at reduced cost and is going to be of immense societal and commercial value. Use of thermal and non-thermal (i.e. cold) plasmas with their exotic and reactive properties is expanding with applications in everyday life in the field of health science and technology, which is known as Plasma medicine. This use of plasma is totally different to blood plasma and convalescent plasma therapy. Understanding of various mechanisms by which plasma can be created artificially to interact with living systems, including effects of reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species and charges, has begun to emerge recently. When therapeutic applications of plasma are already widely established in plasma medicine, efforts are towards using plasma medicine for bio-medical applications including wound healing, bacterial disinfection, and tissue engineering. A bright future for plasma medicine is emerging worldwide with many promising applications on the horizon.