Sources of Gas-Discharge Plasma: Effect of the Absorbed Dose and Active Particle Composition on Physicochemical Transformations in Biological Substrates

The aim of the investigation was to study the effect of the absorbed dose and composition of active particles of various gas-discharge plasma sources on physicochemical changes in biological substrates.

Materials and Methods. A generator of flash corona electrical discharge plasma, pulsed sources of plasma radiation Pilimin IR-10, Pilimin IR-1, and Brig, OUFK-01 Solnyshko quartz ultraviolet irradiator with a DKB-9 low-pressure mercury lamp served as the sources of gas-discharge plasma. The radiation dose was measured using a Fricke dosimeter. Optical density of the solutions was registered with the help of SF-102 spectrophotometer. Fluorat-02 Panorama spectrophotometer was used to study fluorescence spectra of tryptophan in the aqueous solution at 10 mg/L concentration after treatment with gas-discharge plasma sources. Concentration of sulfhydryl (–SH) groups before and after irradiation with Pilimin IR-10 and DKB-9 UV lamp was determined for aqueous solutions of albumin and methemoglobin.

Results. Emission spectra of the generator of flash corona electrical discharge plasma and spark discharge plasma in the air for Pilimin IR-10 generator have been analyzed. The spectral data show that plasma of the spark electrical discharge is weakly ionized, thermal radiation serves as the main acting factor.

A wide peak in the range of ~360 nm region, where there is a peak of nitrous acid NO₂^– absorption, is observed in the spectra of water samples exposed to plasma radiation of Pilimin IR-10, Pilimin IR-1, and Brig generators. The peak has a structure connected with the formation of nitrogen compounds of a more complicated nature. Increase of radiation pulse duration results in the increase of optical density at the wavelengths less than 330 nm. 355–360 nm peak height relative to the substrate does not practically change.

Under the action of the mercury lamp radiation, hydrogen peroxide and NH₄⁺ ions are generated in water.

The highest absorption dose is noted after the treatment with flash corona electrical discharge plasma, the lowest with radiation of the DKB-9 UV lamp and Brig generator.

The concentration of –SH-groups in tryptophan, albumin, and methemoglobin increases when exposed to plasma radiation. The absorbed dose generated by the Pilimin IR-10 generator exceeds 4.5 times the dose generated by the UV lamp, i.e. the effect is caused by a specific reaction mechanism and is not connected directly with the dose.

Conclusion. The main role in the alterations in biological substrates exposed to various plasma sources is played by the composition of the active particles generated by the source. These data allow the development of more effective gas-discharge devices for biomedical purposes and can be employed for implementation of innovation plasma technologies in medicine.

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Piskarev I.M., Astaf’eva K.A., Ivanova I.P. Sources of Gas-Discharge Plasma: Effect of the Absorbed Dose and Active Particle Composition on Physicochemical Transformations in Biological Substrates. Sovremennye tehnologii v medicine 2018; 10(2): 90, https://doi.org/10.17691/stm2018.10.2.10