We studied the pulmonary toxicity of indium hydroxide (In(OH)3), which is produced during a recycling process of indium-tin oxide (ITO), in comparison with that of ITO or indium oxide (In2O3), two raw materials of flat panel displays. One hundred and forty-four male Wistar rats were intratracheally given equivalent doses of 10 mg/kg indium as In(OH)3, ITO, or In2O3 particles, twice a week, for a total of 5 times for 2 weeks. Control rats were given distilled water as a vehicle. After 3 weeks, these rats were serially euthanized, and toxicological effects were determined. Body weight gain was significantly suppressed in the In(OH)3-treated rats compared to that in the control group, but not in the ITO- or In2O3-treated rats. Relative lung weights in all the indium-treated groups significantly increased compared to those in the control group throughout the observation period. Furthermore, lung weights in the In(OH)3 group were significantly higher than those in either the ITO or In2O3 group. Blood indium levels in the In(OH)3-treated rats were much higher, 70- to 200-fold, than those in the In2O3- or ITO-treated rats at each time point. Although the lung indium content decreased gradually during the observation periods, the content in the In(OH)3 group was significantly higher than that in either the ITO or In2O3 group. A histopathological analysis revealed foci indicating a slight to severe pulmonary inflammatory response, including exudation to alveolar spaces, were present in all the indium-treated groups. Interstitial fibrotic proliferation was seen only in the In(OH)3-treated rats. The severity of these lesions in the In(OH)3-treated rats was greater than that in either the ITO- or In2O3-treated rats.

The results of our study clearly demonstrated that In(OH)3 particles caused severe pulmonary toxicity when repeated intratracheal instillations were performed in rats. Furthermore, the toxic potency of In(OH)3 in the lung was much higher than that of ITO and In2O3. Accordingly, the toxicity of In(OH)3 particles should be considered in addition to that of ITO and In2O3 particles when indium exposure occurs.

Articular cartilage is prone to degeneration and possesses extremely poor self-healing capacity due to its low cell density and absence of blood vessels. It has extensively reported tissue engineered scaffold can be a promising approach for cartilage repair. However, there still remains an inherent lack of desirable scaffolds that stimulate cartilage regrowth with appropriate functional properties. Therefore, in this study, we develop a biomimetic cartilage substitute comprising of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) with cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) modified cell favorable surface and sustained bioactive factor (bovine serum albumin (BSA) or transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)) incorporated microspheres inside for improving stem cell chondrogenesis and cartilage regeneration. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis showed the drug delivery spheres homogeneously distribution in the fibrous scaffold. Furthermore, CAP treatment renders the scaffold’s surface more hydrophilic and results in more specific vitronectin adsorption as illustrated by contact angle and ELISA testing. Our results showed that the CAP treated scaffold can greatly improve growth and chondrogenic differentiation (such as increased glycosaminoglycan (GAG) synthesis) of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

We have studied multigeneration effects of plasma irradiation to seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) and Zinnia peruviana (L.) on their growth using a scalable DBD device. Atmospheric plasma irradiation enhances growth of these plants in multi-generations. For Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) in the third generation, the leaf area is 2 times larger than that without plasma irradiation and the stem length is 1.5 times longer than that without plasma. For Zinnia peruviana (L.) in the second generation, the stem length is 2 times longer than that without plasma.

Biomolecules have been traditionally immobilised onto surfaces using wet chemical techniques for various medical applications. Recent decades have seen plasma methods being used to prepare these surfaces through various forms of surface modification, but the direct exposure of biomolecules to plasma has been avoided due to fears that the molecules would be denatured by the energetic plasma species. Recent results are now demonstrating that direct plasma deposition of biomolecule coatings can be achieved. This creates the possibility to directly modify the surface of implants without any form of surface pre-treatment and this opens up the possibility to alter the healing processes. Materials such as collagen, chitosan, catalase and heparin can be effectively deposited onto surfaces with minimal impact on biological performance and without any chemical binders, linkers or impurities. The performance of these materials has been characterised using both in vitro and in vivo methodologies. In a further step, the results of a preclinical trial are presented which reveal that direct deposition of biomolecules onto open wounds can also be achieved and the impact of this on wound healing is measured in an immunocompromised animal model. A non-thermal plasma device was used to deliver collagen on to chronic wounds and the treatment was shown to promote wound closure in a rabbit wound healing model.

We studied effects of atmospheric air dielectric barrier discharge plasma irradiation to seeds of radish sprouts on chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations in their leaves. Plasma irradiation increases chlorophyll concentration under some irradiation conditions, whereas the irradiation has little effects on carotenoid concentration. These results show that plasma irradiation to seeds has influence on cell activities in a selective way.