Non-thermal reactive n₂/he plasma exposure to inhibit epithelial head and neck tumor cells

The traditional therapy for head and neck cancer patients has several side effects. Hence, regular follow-up care is usually required. Recently, non-thermal micro-plasma was applied to inactivate cancer cells. Such a physical method provides localized energy and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). In this study, the ability of non-oxygen N₂/He micro-plasma to inactivate four pharynx squamous carcinomatous cells, namely SAS, CAL 27, FaDu, and Detroit 562, under different exposure durations is evaluated. The four cell lines were affected with regard to proliferation, reduction, and apoptosis-related DNA damage, implying that the cell medium is critical in plasma–cell interaction. This is expected to be a promising method for head and neck cancer cell suppression through plasma-initiated ROS/RNS species under a suitable exposure time.