A nature-based solution for regulating the inflammatory phase of diabetic wound healing using a cold atmospheric plasma

Abstract

Diabetes is an inflammatory disease that usually causes chronic wounds for which no satisfactory therapies currently exist. Here we report a physical approach using a cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) to target diabetic wounds locally for regulating the inflammatory phase of the wounds. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis of inflammatory factors combined with physical investigations of the helium plasma jet characteristics is conducted. The physical and biological safety and clinical application prospects of the CAP jet for the human body are also analyzed. The results demonstrate for the first time that CAP therapy can stimulate the body’s own inflammatory regulation function to achieve a normal state, rather than excessively interfere in a single target. This involves the inhibition of pro-inflammatory factors in the onset subphase and the promotion of anti-inflammatory factors in the subsequent resolution subphase. This research contributes to the development of highly effective and safe topical therapies to promote chronic wound healing.