Plasma-liquid interactions in the presence of organic matter—A perspective

As investigations in the biomedical applications of plasma advance, a demand for describing safe and efficacious delivery of plasma is emerging. It is quite clear that not all plasmas are “equal” for all applications. This Perspective discusses limitations of the existing parameters used to define plasma in context of the need for the “right plasma” at the “right dose” for each “disease system.” The validity of results extrapolated from in vitro studies to preclinical and clinical applications is discussed. We make a case for studying the whole system as a single unit, in situ. Furthermore, we argue that while plasma-generated chemical species are the proposed key effectors in biological systems, the contribution of physical effectors (electric fields, surface charging, dielectric properties of target, changes in gap electric fields, etc.) must not be ignored.