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Accumulating data have recently underlined argon´s neuroprotective potential. However, to the best of our knowledge, no data are available on the cerebrovascular effects of argon (Ar) in humans. We hypothesized that argon inhalation does not affect mean blood flow velocity of the middle cerebral artery (Vmca), cerebral flow index (FI), zero flow pressure (ZFP), effective cerebral perfusion pressure (CPPe), resistance area product (RAP) and the arterio-jugular venous content differences of oxygen (AJVDO2), glucose (AJVDG), and lactate (AJVDL) in anesthetized patients. In a secondary analysis of an earlier controlled cross-over trial we compared parameters of the cerebral circulation under 15 minutes exposure to 70%Ar/30%O2 versus 70%N2/30%O2 in 29 male patients under fentanyl-midazolam anaesthesia before coronary surgery. Vmca was measured by transcranial Doppler sonography. ZFP and RAP were estimated by linear regression analysis of pressure-flow velocity relationships of the middle cerebral artery. CPPe was calculated as the difference between mean arterial pressure and ZFP. AJVDO2, AJVDG and AJVDL were calculated as the differences in contents between arterial and jugular-venous blood of oxygen, glucose, and lactate. Statistical analysis was done by t-tests and ANOVA. Mechanical ventilation with 70% Ar did not cause any significant changes in mean arterial pressure, Vmca, FI, ZFP, CPPe, RAP, AJVDO2, AJVDG, and AJVDL. Short-term inhalation of 70% Ar does not affect global cerebral circulation or metabolism in male humans under general anaesthesia.

The present study reports a significant combined antibacterial activity of Cichorium intybus L. (known as Chicory ) natural extract with cold atmospheric-pressure argon plasma treatment against multi-drug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria. To detect reactive species that are generated in the argon plasma, optical emission spectra were recorded. The molecular bands were allocated to the hydroxyl radicals (OH) and neutral nitrogen molecules (N 2 ). Moreover, the atomic lines form the emitted spectra were determined to argon atoms (Ar) and the oxygen atoms (O), respectively. The results revealed that Chicory extract treatment at a concentration of 0.043 g/ml reduced the metabolic activity of P. aeruginosa cells by 42%, while, a reduced metabolic activity of 50.6% was found for E. coli biofilms. Moreover, the combination of Chicory extract with 3 min Ar-plasma introduced a synergistic effect, so that it exhibited a significantly reduced metabolic activity of P. aeruginosa to 84.1%, and E. coli ones to 86.7%, respectively. The relationship between cell viability and membrane integrity of P. aeruginosa and E. coli biofilms treated with Chicory extract and argon plasma jet were also analyzed by CLSM. It was found that after the combined treatment, a noticeable membrane disruption was formed. Besides, it was concluded that E. coli biofilms showed a higher sensitivity to Ar-plasma than P. aeruginosa biofilm at longer plasma exposure times. This study suggests that the anti-biofilm therapy based on a combined effect of Chicory extract and cold argon plasma treatment can serve as a considerable green method for treatment of antimicrobial MDR bacteria.

Recent research has highlighted the promising potential of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) in cancer therapy. However, variations in study outcomes are attributed to differences in CAP devices and plasma parameters, which lead to diverse compositions of plasma products, including electrons, charged particles, reactive species, UV light, and heat. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the optimal exposure time, duration, and direction-dependent cellular effects of two CAPs, based on argon and helium gases, on glioblastoma U-87 MG cancer cells and an animal model of GBM. Two plasma jets were used as low-temperature plasma sources in which helium or argon gas was ionized by high voltage (4.5 kV) and frequency (20 kHz). In vitro assessments on human GBM and normal astrocyte cell lines, using MTT assays, flow cytometry analysis, wound healing assays, and immunocytochemistry for Caspase3 and P53 proteins, demonstrated that all studied plasma jets, especially indirect argon CAP, selectively induced apoptosis, hindered tumor cell growth, and inhibited migration. These effects occurred concurrently with increased intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species and decreased total antioxidant capacity in the cells. In vivo results further supported these findings, indicating that single indirect argon and direct helium CAP therapy, equal to high dose Temozolomide treatment, induced tumor cell death in a rat model of GBM. This was concurrent with a reduction in tumor size observed through PET-CT scan imaging and a significant increase in the survival rate. Additionally, there was a decrease in GFAP protein levels, a significant GBM tumor marker, and an increase in P53 protein expression based on immunohistochemical analyses. Furthermore, Ledge beam test analysis revealed general motor function improvement after indirect argon CAP therapy, similar to Temozolomide treatment. Taken together, these results suggest that CAP therapy, using indirect argon and direct helium jets, holds great promise for clinical applications in GBM treatment.

Background A rapid, cost-effective, and eco-friendly method was investigated to enhance the germination potential of lemon basil ( Ocimum africanum Lour.) seeds using radiofrequency (RF) cold plasma treatment, addressing poor germination due to seed dormancy in the CIM-Jyoti variety. Methods Lemon basil seeds (variety CIM-Jyoti) were treated with RF cold plasma using Oxygen (O 2 ), Argon (Ar), and Ar + O 2 gas combinations, varying RF power (W1: 60 W, W2: 150 W, W3: 240 W), process pressure (P1: 0.2 mbar, P2: 0.4 mbar, P3: 0.6 mbar), and treatment time (T1: 5 min, T2: 10 min, T3: 15 min). Germination percentage, seedling vigor indices (SVI-I and SVI-II), and water absorption efficiency were evaluated, with seed surface morphology analyzed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results The Ar + O 2 gas combination at P2W3T2 treatment resulted the highest percent improvements in germination, SVI-I, and SVI-II by 24.5%, 44.0%, and 69.4%, respectively over control and that highest water absorption efficiency after 10 h of soaking and SEM analysis confirmed this was due to surface etching. O 2 gas treatment at P1W2T2 increased germination by 16.3%, SVI-I by 24.3%, and SVI-II by 24.7% compared to the control. Ar gas treatment at P1W2T1 improved germination by 13.3%, with SVI-I and SVI-II enhanced by 29.6% and 23.0%, respectively at P1W2T2. Conclusions RF cold plasma treatment with the Ar + O 2 gas combination proved most effective for enhancing lemon basil seed germination and vigor than using these gases all alone, offering a sustainable alternative for improving seed performance.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of argon plasma on the growth of soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] sprouts and investigate the regulation mechanism of energy metabolism. The germination and growth characteristics were modified by argon plasma at different potentials and exposure durations. Upon investigation, plasma treatment at 22.1 kV for 12 s maximized the germination and seedling growth of soybean, increasing the concentrations of soluble protein, antioxidant enzymes, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as well as up-regulating ATP a1, ATP a2, ATP b1, ATP b2, ATP b3 , target of rapamycin ( TOR ), growth-regulating factor ( GRF) 1–6 , down-regulating ATP MI25 mRNA expression, and increasing the demethylation levels of the sequenced region of ATP a1, ATP b1, TOR, GRF 5 , and GRF 6 of 6-day-old soybean sprouts. These observations indicate that argon plasma promotes soybean seed germination and sprout growth by regulating the demethylation levels of ATP, TOR , and GRF .

Nowadays, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) technology has developed as an innovative tool for cancer therapy. Although many studies have reported the antitumor effects of plasma in vivo and in vitro, there are many challenges, including standardization of plasma devices and treatment time for different tumors. For the first time, we aimed to evaluate and compare optimal exposure time and direction-dependent cellular effects of helium and argon plasma on the 4T1 cancer cells and a triple-negative mouse model of breast cancer. This study used two types of helium and argon plasma jet devices with different input parameters. In vitro evaluations on 4T1 cell line using the MTT assays and flow cytometry analysis demonstrate CAP-induced apoptosis in all treated groups, especially in the direct approach. These changes were concurrent with increased intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and decreased total antioxidant capacity in these cells. In vivo studies concurrent with in vitro results revealed that CAP therapy reduces tumor size, decreases Nottingham histological score, prevents weight loss, and increases the survival rate in all treated groups. These results suggest that plasma therapy may overcome the adverse effects of approved cancer therapeutic strategies and seems to be a significant issue for cancer patients in the clinical stage, alone or in combination with current therapeutic programs.

The objective of this study was to investigate the treatment effects of non-thermal atmospheric gas plasmas (NTAP) on destruction and the recovery (or re-colonization) of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P . gingivalis) in biofilms. P . gingivalis is a well-known keystone periodontal pathogen strongly associated with periodontal diseases, especially periodontitis. P . gingivalis biofilms were formed on stainless steel coupons and treated for 1, 2, and 5 minutes by NTAP of pure argon gas and argon+oxygen gas mixture. MTT assay, colony forming unit (CFU) counting assay and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) were used to assess the destruction efficiency. In addition, the plasma treated biofilms were re-cultured in the medium supplemented with antibiotics and oxidative stress sources to determine the synergy of the NTAP with other antimicrobial agents. The results showed the plasma treatment could result in 2.7 log unit reduction in bacterial load. The recovered biofilm CFU with NTAP treatment combined with sub minimal inhibition concentration of amoxicillin was 0.33 log units less than the biofilm treated with amoxicillin alone. The recovered biofilm CFU in NTAP groups was about 2.0 log units less than that in the untreated controls under H 2 O 2 treatment. There was approximately 1.0 log unit reduction of biofilm CFU in plasma treated biofilm compared with untreated control under paraquat treatment. The plasma treated biofilms exhibited less resistance to amoxicillin and greater susceptibility to hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) and paraquat, suggesting that NTAP may enhance biofilm susceptibility to host defense. These in vitro findings suggested that NTAP could be a novel and effective treatment method of oral biofilms that cause periodontal diseases.

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) is well documented to have microbicidal properties including against non-pathogenic Escherichia coli . In this feasibility study, a semi-quantitative method was developed to measure bactericidal activity of argon-CAPP (Ar-CAPP). Ar-CAPP susceptibility then was tested for a variety of clinically relevant E. coli strains, both uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) and strains resistant to multiple antibiotics. All strains tested were found similarly susceptible to the antibacterial effects of Ar-CAPP. Next, methods were developed to propagate Ar-CAPP through defined lengths of plastic tubing with internal diameters ranging from 0.8 to 3.5 mm. Ar-CAPP propagated throughout all sizes of tubing tested, with visible plasma plumes exiting from the distal ends of the tubing. Bactericidal effects of the plasma efflux were tested against E. coli . Only partial loss of bactericidal activity was seen in tubing efflux plasma compared to control plasma jet plume unobstructed by tubing. Future work will develop bacterial biofilms on the internal surfaces of tubing to determine whether Ar-CAPP will ablate biofilms or kill biofilm bacteria. If successful, Ar-CAPP could further be tested for feasibility of disinfection of urinary catheters and other re-useable insertable medical devices in at-home and hospital settings.

Background Noble gases xenon (Xe) and argon (Ar) emerge as promising therapeutic agents. Extensive studies have validated their efficacy across various models of organ injury, positioning them as novel candidates for clinical translation in critical care and perioperative medicine. Main Body Xe and Ar exert protective effects through multiple mechanisms, including activation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) pathway, inhibition of regulated cell death pathways, such as apoptosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, and pyroptosis, and suppression of pro-inflammatory signaling. By modulating these key signaling pathways, Xe and Ar have been shown to improve outcomes in neurological, cardiac, renal, and hepatic systems across diverse models of ischemia-reperfusion injury, traumatic brain injury, and systemic inflammation. Clinically, Xe has shown efficacy in anesthesia, neonatal neuroprotection, and cardiac arrest management. Ar, with greater availability and lower costs, holds promise for broader clinical use but remains in the early stage of translational research. Conclusion Xe and Ar represent novel biologically active gases with the potential to provide promising therapies in perioperative and clinical care medicine. Overcoming current limitations, such as a lack of standardized delivery systems and optimized dosing strategies, is key to uncovering their clinical application.

In this study, bovine cortical bone was investigated under plasma treatment process to investigate the potential for improvements in their structural characteristics. The bone specimens were treatment with low pressure argon cold plasma at different treatment times; 15, 30, and 45 min. Various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, surface roughness testing and automatic LCR Bridge were utilized to study the plasma-induced modifications on the structural and dielectric properties of the bone. SEM images revealed the elimination of some outer atoms from the bone surface during the 30-minute plasma ablation process, leading to more noticeable grain size of hydroxyapatite. XRD measurements confirmed the obtained results as mentoring the changes in crystallite size and strain parameters. As the treatment time approached 45 min, crystallite size increased, along with surface roughness parameters and relaxation time. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the microstructural and morphological changes occurring on the bone surface during cold argon plasma treatment.