Effects of Cold Atmospheric Plasma on Infectious Diabetic Wound Healing in Rat Models

Objectives: Patients with diabetes often suffer from chronic wounds which can occur due to the impairment of wound healing in these patients. Scientists have been trying to address this issue by using wide spectrum of antibiotics and drugs. However, overusing antibiotics in recent years has led to antibiotic resistant crisis; therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new approaches in order for controlling microbial infections in diabetic patients. This study aimed to determine if cold plasma was effective in wound healing in the infectious diabetic conditions. Material and Methods: In this experimental study, 40 adult male rats with diabetes infected with Staphylococcus aureus were included. The animals were randomly divided into two groups of 20 rats and four sub-groups (i.e., day 3rd, day 7th, day 14th, and day 21st). The rats in the treatment group were exposed to helium plasma irradiated for 3 minutes per day for 21 days. Wound healing in the samples was evaluated using five healing indexes including epithelium formation, Inflammatory cells, new vascularization, fibroblast, and collagen formation. Results: A significant difference (P<0.05) was found between the indexes in the plasma radiation group compared to the control group. The results showed that the speed of wound healing in the group treated with cold helium gas plasma was higher than that in the control group. Collagen formation was always completed faster in the helium plasma group, indicating the positive effects of helium plasma on infected diabetic wounds. Conclusions: Helium plasma was remarkable effective in healing wound and controlling infections in diabetic rats.