Activated air produced by shielded sliding discharge plasma mediates plasmid DNA delivery to mammalian cells

ABSTRACT Cold plasma is emerging as a potential method for medical applications. The current study assessed the efficacy of a novel cold plasma reactor based on shielded sliding discharge producing cathode‐directed streamers generated in ambient air for the delivery of plasmid DNA. Experiments were performed with mouse melanoma cells (B16F10) and human keratinocyte cells (HaCaT) inoculated with plasmid DNA encoding luciferase. Quantitative results measured over a 72‐h period displayed luciferase expression levels as high as 5‐fold greater in cells exposed to plasma‐activated air (PAA) than levels obtained from the inoculation of plasmid DNA alone (P