Cold atmospheric plasma-activated liquid inhibits peritoneal metastasis in drug-resistant ovarian cancer by targeting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Jinren Liu & Guanjun Zhang et al. · 2025-08-07

Ovarian cancer remains a significant challenge in oncology due to its aggressive nature, late-stage diagnosis, and high rates of chemoresistance, particularly to platinum-based therapies like cisplatin. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key driver of ovarian cancer metastasis and drug resistance, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) and plasma-activated liquids (PAL), including plasma-activated medium (PAM) and saline (PAS), have emerged as promising anticancer agents, generating reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) that selectively target cancer cells. This study investigates the potential of PAL to inhibit the invasion and metastasis of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells and explores its synergistic effects with cisplatin. In vitro, PAM reduced proliferation, migration, and invasion of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells (A2780/DDP and SKOV3/DDP) while downregulating EMT-related proteins (N-cadherin, β-catenin, vimentin). H
Authors
Jinren Liu, Xiangni Wang, Yixin Cui, Jiajia Lu, Zhirou He, Yulin Xu, Rongrong Li, Guimin Xu, Lingge Gao, Xiaolin Fan, Xili Wu, Xingmin Shi, Guanjun Zhang
Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province

2022JQ-882

Project of Independent Innovative Experiment for Postgraduates in medicine in Xi'an Jiaotong University

YJSCX-2023-010

Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province

2024JC-YBMS-785

Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province

2025JC-YBMS-860

Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

xtr062024007

Scientific Research Project of Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Traditional

SZY-KJCYC-2023-084

Project of Independent Innovative Experiment for Postgraduates in medicine in Xi’an Jiaotong University

YJSCX-2023-010