REVIEW article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
This article is part of the Research TopicCraniomaxillofacial Reconstruction: from Bench to BedsideView all 8 articles
Penetration depth of cold atmospheric plasma into biological tissue: a review
Provisionally accepted
Dong Jiang1,2
Jiashuo Zhang1,2Zhixin Liu1,2
Yilin Yu1,2Li Xiao1,2Mi Ai1,2Ming Luo1,2
Ollie Yiru Yu3Yingguang Cao1,2
Ke Song1,2*- 1Huazhong University of Science and Technology Tongji Medical College Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China
- 2Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- 3The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
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Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a non-thermal plasma generated near room temperature that has broad medical applications in the medical field, including antitumor, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects, promotion of tissue regeneration, and enhancement of transdermal and mucosal drug delivery. However, there is currently a lack of standardization regarding the indications for CAP and its application parameters, resulting in varying degrees of histological penetration depths reported in different studies. Therefore, to further promote the safe and effective clinical application of CAP, the histological levels at which CAP can be applied must be clearly defined. Here, we review the depth of tissue penetration achieved by CAP under various conditions and analyze the key factors influencing penetration depth, using this knowledge to propose how these factors should be adjusted for different application requirements to achieve safer and more precise therapies.
Keywords: biological tissue, cold atmospheric plasma, histological layers, Penetration depth, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, tissue model
Received: 10 Dec 2025; Accepted: 19 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Jiang, Zhang, Liu, Yu, Xiao, Ai, Luo, Yu, Cao and Song. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ke Song
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.