Plasma Activated Water (PAW) is water that has been exposed to non-thermal plasma, which is an ionized gas containing a mix of ions, electrons, and neutral particles. This exposure alters the chemical and physical properties of the water, giving it unique characteristics. Thanks to its ability to produce reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), PAW pre-treatment greatly increased the killing efficacy of three antiseptics to eradicate the E. coli biofilm formed on the plastic and keratinocyte substrates, acting on the microbial membrane leading to outer membrane permeabilisation and depolarisation, contribute to significant bacterial cell death. PAW offers a promising, cost-effective, and safe method for managing chronic wounds infected with biofilms. Its ability to reduce bacterial load and to promote wound healing, while being safe for human cells, makes it an attractive pre-treatment to combine with traditional topical antiseptics, such as of polyhexamethylene biguanide, povidone iodine and MediHoney, which are routinely used to treat chronic wounds.
Suggested by our guest Ángel Francés Ruiz