In vitro studies of the antimicrobial effect of non-thermal plasma-activated water as a novel mouthwash

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of non-thermal plasma-activated water (PAW) as a novel mouthwash in vitro. Three representative oral pathogens - Streptococcus mutans, Actinomyces viscosus and Porphyromonas gingivalis - were treated with PAW. The inactivation effect was evaluated using the colony-forming unit (CFU) method, and the morphological and structural changes of a cell were observed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The physicochemical properties of PAW were analysed, and its influence on the leakage of intracellular proteins and DNA was evaluated. The results showed significant reduction of Streptococcus mutans within 60 s, of Actinomyces viscosus within 40 s, and of Porphyromonas gingivalis in less than 40 s. Scanning electron microscopy and TEM images showed that the normal cell morphology changed by varying degrees after treatment with PAW. Intracellular proteins (280 nm) and DNA (260 nm) leaked from all three species of bacteria after treatment with PAW. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), especially atomic oxygen (O), hydroxyl radical (˙OH), and hydrogen peroxide (H₂ O₂ ), were generated and led to strong oxidative stress and cell damage. These results suggest that PAW has potential use as a novel antimicrobial mouthwash.

TiO2-assisted degradation of a perfluorinated surfactant in aqueous solutions treated by gliding arc discharge

The plasma-chemical degradation of Forafac 1110, a perfluorinated non-ionic surfactant, in aqueous solutions was investigated using TiO2 catalysts. The considered plasma was the gliding arc in humid air, which results from an electric discharge at atmospheric pressure and quasi-ambient temperature. Two titanium dioxide powders were used and their synergistic effects on the Forafac degradation were compared. The results were discussed through the evolution of the pH, the conductivity, the fluoride ions concentration released in solutions, the surfactant concentration remaining after treatment and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) measurement. The combination of the plasma-chemical treatment with heterogeneous catalysis through the use of TiO2 accelerated the Forafac degradation, since only 60 min was sufficient to remove 96% instead of 360 min needed in the absence of TiO2. The use of anatase and rutile under the trade-name of Rhodia TiO2 and Merck TiO2, respectively, led to different results, because Rhodia TiO2 has proven to be more efficient. It would seem that the crystalline phase as well as the crystallite size, explain the efficiency of anatase. The advantage of the plasma-catalysis is due to the fact that there is a significant production of the OH* radicals not only generated by the gliding arc discharge but also by TiO2.

Organic pollutants abatement and biodecontamination of brewery effluents by a non-thermal quenched plasma at atmospheric pressure

A preliminary study was carried out to investigate possible decontamination of the waste waters from a Cameroonian brewery by using a non-thermal atmospheric plasma. Samples of waste waters collected during periods of intense activity of production were first analysed for organoleptic, physical-chemical and organic parameters, and then exposed to a humid air electric discharge at ambient temperature and pressure. The resultant pollution abatement and germicidal effects are both ascribed to strong oxidising effects of OH and NO radicals formed in the plasma. The BOD removal efficiency of the process with brewery industrial wastewaters under BOD concentration of 385 and 1018 mg l(-1) were 74% and 98% respectively. The alkaline wastewaters are rapidly neutralised due to the pH lowering effects of the plasma treatment.

Evidence of temporal postdischarge decontamination of bacteria by gliding electric discharges: application to Hafnia alvei

This study aimed to characterize the bacterium-destroying properties of a gliding arc plasma device during electric discharges and also under temporal postdischarge conditions (i.e., when the discharge was switched off). This phenomenon was reported for the first time in the literature in the case of the plasma destruction of microorganisms. When cells of a model bacterium, Hafnia alvei, were exposed to electric discharges, followed or not followed by temporal postdischarges, the survival curves exhibited a shoulder and then log-linear decay. These destruction kinetics were modeled using GinaFiT, a freeware tool to assess microbial survival curves, and adjustment parameters were determined. The efficiency of postdischarge treatments was clearly affected by the discharge time (t*); both the shoulder length and the inactivation rate k(max) were linearly modified as a function of t*. Nevertheless, all conditions tested (t* ranging from 2 to 5 min) made it possible to achieve an abatement of at least 7 decimal logarithm units. Postdischarge treatment was also efficient against bacteria not subjected to direct discharge, and the disinfecting properties of "plasma-activated water" were dependent on the treatment time for the solution. Water treated with plasma for 2 min achieved a 3.7-decimal-logarithm-unit reduction in 20 min after application to cells, and abatement greater than 7 decimal logarithm units resulted from the same contact time with water activated with plasma for 10 min. These disinfecting properties were maintained during storage of activated water for 30 min. After that, they declined as the storage time increased.