Innovative treatment of soft tissue tumors by air plasma-activated medium

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K09217
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 56020:Orthopedics-related
• Research Institution: Plasma ChemiBio Laboratory
• Principal Investigator: Suzuki Yoshihiro 一般社団法人プラズマ化学生物学研究所, 研究部, 代表理事 (80206549)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ミトコンドリア / 活性酸素 / 一酸化窒素 / オゾン

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We discovered that a non-thermal atmospheric air plasma-treated solution strongly damages bone and soft tissue tumor cells, such as osteosarcoma, while causing minimal damage to normal cells. The underlying mechanism is that it promotes the production of lipid peroxides through a reaction between iron contained in the mitochondria of tumor cells and reactive oxygen species, causing oxidative stress in the mitochondria and changing their properties to an oxidative form that is destructive to cells. The oxidative mitochondria then move closer to the nucleus and become a cause of nuclear damage.
Our findings revealed that this type of mitochondrial change occurs only in tumor cells but not in normal cells, and this is one of the mechanisms behind the tumor cell-specific damage by air plasma-treated solution.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の学術的意義は、空気プラズマは骨軟部腫瘍細胞に鉄依存性経路による細胞傷害を誘導し、ミトコンドリア内酸化ストレスとそれによるミトコンドリアの酸化型への転換と核への接近が重要であることやこの誘導が腫瘍選択的に起こることを初めて明らかにしたことである。この成果は、空気プラズマ照射液による腫瘍標的型治療の分子基盤を提供し、ミトコンドリア内酸化ストレスが腫瘍細胞選択的な傷害のための有力な標的となることを示して副作用の少ないがん治療につながる。