Effect of nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma on cancer-initiating cells

Abstract

Medical applications of nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma (NEAPP) have been reported in cancer therapy. Cells with tumorigenic potential are limited to a small population, called cancer-initiating cells (CICs), which are usually expressing aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in a high level. CICs are believed to cause recurrence or metastasis due to their resistance to apoptosis. Here, we examined the effect of NEAPP on CICs using human uterine endometrioid adenocarcinoma cells and poorly differentiated human gastric carcinoma cells. When treated with NEAPP, ALDH-high cells fell into apoptosis in a comparable level to ALDH-low cells. These results suggested that NEAPP treatment was effective not only on non-CICs but also on CICs. NEAPP might become a new therapeutic approach to CICs.