Use of molecular beacons for the rapid analysis of DNA damage induced by exposure to an atmospheric pressure plasma jet

Abstract

A rapid method for evaluating the damage caused to DNA molecules upon exposure to plasma is demonstrated. Here, we propose the use of a molecular beacon for rapid detection of DNA strand breaks induced by atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) irradiation. Scission of the molecular beacon by APPJ irradiation leads to separation of the fluorophore-quencher pair, resulting in an increase in fluorescence that directly correlates with the DNA strand breaks. The results show that the increase in fluorescence intensity is proportional to the exposure time and the rate of fluorescence increase is proportional to the discharge power. This simple and rapid method allows the estimation of DNA damage induced by exposure to a non-thermal plasma.