HEFEI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A new plasma method has been discovered that can induce rapid and violent cancer cell death.
Plasma makes up the sun and stars, and it is the most common state of matter in the universe. In recent years, cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), an ionized gas close to room temperature, has been recognized as a novel promising anti-cancer treatment that inhibits cancer growth with less damage to normal cells.
Researchers at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences found the CAP therapy can induce pyroptosis, also called fiery cell death, which is triggered by inflammation molecules.
Rather than slowing the growth and spread of cancer, the plasma method kills cancer cells more rapidly and aggressively than other radiation therapies, said lead researcher Han Wei.
"After CAP delivers its cancer-killing power to a cancer cell, it will activate GSDME protein, which can function as a knife that pokes holes in the cell membrane. When the membrane ruptures, the cancer cell will die," Han said.
The fiery death of cancer cells can also initiate an alarm signal, allowing the immune system to recognize the cancer cells and kill them as invaders.
The results of the study were published in the international journal Cell Death and Disease.
According to Han, the new finding will help deepen the understanding of the plasma method and provide a new strategy for anti-cancer treatment. Enditem
