Recent studies have shown the in vitro neuro-protective functions of atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) against multiple pathological injuries during ischaemic stroke (IS). However, whether APP treatment exerts a therapeutic effect on a rat IS model remains unclear. Here, on the basis of needle-to-ring dielectric barrier discharge, an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) was designed, with the Helium as the working gas which was driven by a sinusoidal voltage. Then, the treatment conditions were optimised for IS rat model treatment and the characteristics of this APPJ were further diagnosed. Subsequently, the rat IS model was established through 90 min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and plasma was intermittently inhaled by rats via the nasal cavity for a 2 min period at 60 min of MCAO process. The therapeutic effects of this plasma jet device were then evaluated using biomedical analyses. According to our results, intermittent APP inhalation in the MCAO rats increased the serum NO content, improved the neurological function, enhanced regional cerebral blood flow, lowered brain infarction, and reduced the cell apoptosis in brain tissues of MCAO rats. Collectively, our data provides a novel potential strategy for IS treatment by using atmospheric-pressure plasma inhalation.

中文翻译：

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大气压等离子体射流在大鼠缺血性脑卒中模型中的应用：设计、优化和特征

最近的研究表明，大气压等离子体 (APP) 在体外对缺血性中风 (IS) 期间的多种病理损伤具有神经保护作用。然而，APP 治疗是否对大鼠 IS 模型发挥治疗作用仍不清楚。在此，在针环介质阻挡放电的基础上，设计了一种大气压力等离子体射流（APPJ），以氦气为工作气体，由正弦电压驱动。然后，针对 IS 大鼠模型治疗优化治疗条件，进一步诊断该 APPJ 的特征。随后，通过大脑中动脉闭塞（MCAO）90 min建立大鼠IS模型，大鼠在MCAO过程60 min时经鼻腔间歇吸入血浆2 min。然后使用生物医学分析评估了这种等离子射流装置的治疗效果。根据我们的结果，MCAO 大鼠间歇性吸入 APP 可增加血清 NO 含量，改善神经功能，增强局部脑血流量，减少脑梗死，减少 MCAO 大鼠脑组织细胞凋亡。总的来说，我们的数据为使用常压等离子体吸入进行 IS 治疗提供了一种新的潜在策略。