An Atmospheric Plasma Jet Induces Expression of Wound Healing Genes in Progressive Burn Wounds in a Comb Burn Rat Model: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Burn-related injuries are devastating injuries with a high mortality rate that affect people of all ages worldwide. We assessed the effectiveness of plasma jet treatment in altering the expression of genes involved in wound healing in a prospective longitudinal observational animal study. Six male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 350 g were used, and burn wounds were made by applying a preheated brass comb (100°C) to the back of the rats, resulting in 4 full-thickness burn wounds separated by 3 interspaces. A total of 18 burn wounds were induced on 3 rats. One side of the burn, on each rat received plasma treatment (plasma group), while the other side did not (control group). The interspaces were subjected to the plasma jet for 2 min per day until 7 days post-wounding. Plasma treatment significantly decreased the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, an increase in the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines was observed in the plasma group. We showed that plasma jet treatment could improve burn wound healing by altering the expression of genes involved in the development of wound healing.