Recently，The discharge plasma and its biomedical application team of the School of Electrical Engineering has made new progress in the cross-research field of biomedical application of atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma，The research results are titled "Molecular dynamics simulations of cancer cell membrane electroporation under the plasma electric field effect" and "Numerical study on interactions of atmospheric plasmas and peptides by reactive molecular dynamic simulations" respectively，Published in the international authoritative journal "Plasma Processes and Polymers" in the field of plasma，And has been continuously selected by the journal as the cover article in February and March 2023，Team master’s students Wang Huichao and Ding Yunhan are the first authors respectively，Professor Zhao Tong and Associate Professor Wang Xiaolong are the corresponding authors respectively，This research work was jointly funded by the National Natural Science Foundation and the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation。
Since the 21st century，Plasma biomedicine is rapidly emerging as a typical cutting-edge interdisciplinary subject，Involving plasma physics、Life sciences and clinical medicine and other fields，Among them, auxiliary cancer treatment is a hot and difficult topic in plasma biomedical research。Plasma active particles need to penetrate the cell membrane to act inside cancer cells，Thereby playing the role of apoptotic cancer cells。《Molecular dynamics simulations of cancer cell membrane electroporation under the plasma electric field effect》Applying classical molecular dynamics simulation methods，Research found that under the effect of plasma electric field，Electroporation occurs in cancer cell membranes，Resulting in changes in cell membrane permeability，Promote the transmembrane transport of active substances into cells，In turn inducing cancer cell apoptosis。Constant electric field、Nanosecond pulsed electric field、Picosecond pulsed electric fields will cause electroporation of cell membranes，The formation of hydrophilic channels between phospholipid bilayers is a necessary condition for electroporation。An important reason for plasma selective apoptosis of cancer cells is that the reduction of cholesterol content in cancer cell membranes affects their electroporation threshold，This makes it easier to form pores。This study reveals the microscopic mechanism of transmembrane transport of plasma active particles selectively into cancer cells，Provides a molecular level explanation for the mechanism of plasma's selective apoptosis of cancer cells while ensuring the survival of normal cells。
Plasma active particles can react with most biological macromolecules after entering cells，After acting on intracellular proteins, it will undergo oxidative modification and accompanied by structural changes，This oxidative modification effect is similar to the post-translational modification process of proteins in vivo，It will have an important impact on the function and lifespan of proteins。However, the microscopic mechanism of plasma modification of proteins is still unclear，It has become a research difficulty in the field of plasma medicine。《Numerical study on interactions of atmospheric plasmas and peptides by reactive molecular dynamic simulations》Select four types of strong oxidants、Long-lived plasma active ions (O、OH、O3,H2O2) and protein polypeptide chain as the research object，Combining reaction molecular dynamics simulation methods with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry experimental methods，Study on the microscopic reaction mechanism between plasma and polypeptide chain。Research findings，After plasma treatment，The introduction of oxygen atoms into the side chains of polypeptides is the most common modification reaction，Dehydrogenation was also observed、Sulfonation、Hydroxylation、Carbonylation、Various reaction types such as nitrosylation and ring cleavage，These changes in molecular structure will affect protein folding，Resulting in changes in protein function，Thereby interfering with the cell signaling process and causing cell apoptosis。This study illustrates the oxidative modification and deactivation mechanism of plasma-protein interaction，Scientifically important。
Atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium discharge plasma due to its modification on the material surface、Environment、Sewage treatment、Potential applications in biomedicine and other aspects have received great attention。Plasma medicine has developed very rapidly in recent years，Provides new ideas for the medical treatment of various diseases、New ways and new technologies，simultaneously，There are also higher requirements for the generation and optimization of discharge plasma。Discharge plasma and its biomedical applications team，Aiming at cutting-edge issues of concern in the plasma field at home and abroad，Deepen the simulation research and corresponding experimental verification of the basic theory of discharge plasma，Focus on exploring the properties of discharge plasma active particles and their interaction mechanism with related biological substances，Actively expand cross-disciplinary integration in more fields，With Shandong University School of Medicine、School of Pharmacy、Qilu Hospital、The Second Hospital of Shandong University and other units have conducted in-depth cooperation，A series of innovative research results have been achieved in the intersection of medicine and engineering，Making positive contributions to the further development of plasma medicine。
Related links: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/16128869/2023/20/2
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/16128869/2023/20/3
