Abstract:
Non-thermal plasma activated water (PAW) has recently emerged as a powerful antimicrobial
agent. Despite numerous potential bio-medical applications, studies concerning toxicity in
live animals, especially after long-term exposure, are scarce. Our study aimed to assess the effects of
long-term watering with PAWon the health of CD1 mice. PAWwas prepared from distilled water
with a GlidArc reactor according to a previously published protocol. The pH was 2.78. The mice
received PAW(experimental group) or tap water (control group) daily for 90 days as the sole water
source. After 90 days, the following investigations were performed on the euthanatized animals:
gross necropsy, teeth mineral composition, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, hematology,
blood biochemistry, methemoglobin level and cytokine profile. Mice tolerated PAWvery well and
no adverse effects were observed during the entire period of the experiment. Histopathological
examination of the organs and tissues did not reveal any structural changes. Moreover, the expression
of proliferation markers PCNA and Ki67 has not been identified in the epithelium of the upper
digestive tract, indicating the absence of any pre- or neoplastic transformations. The results of our
study demonstrated that long-term exposure to PAWcaused no toxic effects and could be used as
oral antiseptic solution in dental medicine.
