Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) and CAP-Stimulated Cell Culture Media Suppress Ovarian Cancer Cell Growth - A Putative Treatment Option in Ovarian Cancer Therapy

Background/aim: Ovarian cancer (OC) is a gynecologic tumor with poor prognosis. Despite radical cytoreductive surgery and platinum-based adjuvant systemic treatment, OC will relapse in the majority of the cases. Thus, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), a highly reactive physical state bearing diverse biological activities being suited for anticancer therapy, may be a promising option in OC therapy.

Materials and methods: OC cell lines were exposed either directly to the CAP or to cell culture medium previously exposed to CAP. Cell proliferation and cell motility was measured.

Results: The data demonstrated, that even a single application of a short-term CAP treatment led to an attenuation of OC cell growth and motility. Moreover, incubation with CAP-treated cell culture medium gave similar effects. Results were consistent in four OC cell lines.

Conclusion: In summary, the CAP application in oncological surgery leads to strong anti-proliferative effects and opens up novel opportunities for the OC treatment.