Safety evaluation of the atmospheric low temperature plasma (ALTP) on conjunctiva: An animal study and histopathological findings; 6-month follow-up.
Shiva Bagheri1 , Farhad Nejat10 *, Khosrow Jadidi10 , Shima Eghtedari10
- vision health research center
Abstract: : Plasma medicine is an innovating research field which focused on the application of atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasmas (ALTP) in the therapeutic purposes. Considering the potentials of plasma in ophthalmology field, in this study we evaluated the safety of the plasma on conjunctival tissue in animal models after 6 months.
Methods: Twelve adult male New Zealand albino rabbits which divided into four groups were used. The right eye of each rabbit was chosen for test and the left eye was as the control. Experiments were performed using the Plexr device (GMV, Rocca Priora, RM, Italy). Four plasma spots were created on the superior part of the conjunctiva (from 10 to 2 o' clock position)at a distance of 4mm from the limbus. using continues mode and a low power level (white handpiece) of the Plexr. For evaluation of the plasma safety, ocular surface integrity and histopathological changes were assessed one-week(A), one(B), three(C) and, six (D) months after the intervention.
Results: According to the histopathological findings, in group A, there is not any chronic inflammation and edema in the exposed areas. Inflammation, scar tissue, deposition and hemorrhage were not found in group B. Also, re-epithelialization confirmed by histological examination after one-month. There is not any evidence of atypia or dysplasia after 3 and 6 months.The analysis of histopathological findings showed the plasma-exposed areas of the conjunctiva are very similar to the same regions of the control eye at the end of 6 months.
Conclusion: In conclusion, there is not any persistent histopathological changes on conjunctival tissue after plasma exposure. Plasma may be an alternative minimally invasive method for treatment of some ocular surface disorders.
