Low-Dose Cold Atmospheric Plasma Promoting Schwann Cells Proliferation By Activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway

Abstract Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is an emerging technology that has attracted the attention of many researchers in many fields and disciplines. In this study, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma device was used to treat Schwann cells (SCs) cultured in vitro, and the effect of CAP on SCs proliferation was evaluated by cell morphology, cell viability, cell cycle and expression of related proteins in SCs. The results showed that the production of intracellular ROS and RNS increased with the increase of CAP treatment time. Compared with the control group, the proliferation of SCs treated with CAP for less than 14 s significantly increased, and and then gradually decreased. Besides, the cell cycle results also showed that more cells were in the S+G2/M phase at this time.The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was activated by low-dose CAP, and the expression of cyclinD1 was consistent with the trend of cell proliferation. In addition, n-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) preconditioning significantly prevented CAP-induced cellular changes. In conclusion, low-dose CAP-induced of SCs proliferation was closely related to the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. This study provides a new idea for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury.