Biological Effects and Enhancement of Percutaneous Absorption on Skin by Atmospheric Microplasma Irradiation

Atmospheric plasma is attracting interest for medical applications and clinical phases. We adduce the following questions to guide the future research in plasma medicine. 1. Is plasma medicine an effective method for treating various symptoms? 2. If not, what combination of drugs in addition to plasma irradiation will be required? 3. Can plasma irradiation be an effective method for drug administration? In this study, we explored the feasibility of using atmospheric microplasma irradiation to enhance percutaneous absorption of drugs, as an alternative delivery method to conventional hypodermic needles, to treat various symptoms, such as those associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Pig skin was used as a biological sample, exposed to microplasma irradiation, and analyzed by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A tape stripping test, which is a representative method for evaluating skin barrier performance, was also conducted for comparison. Transepidermal water loss was measured to quantify water evaporation from the inside of the body through the skin barrier. The results show that the stratum corneum could be chemically and physically modified by microplasma irradiation. Physical damage to the skin by microplasma irradiation and plasma jets was also assessed by observing the skin surface. The results suggest that microplasma irradiation has the potential to enhance percutaneous absorption.