Plasma, the fourth fundamental state of matter, comprises charged species and electrons, and it is a fascinating medium that is spread over the entire visible universe. In addition to that, plasma can be generated artificially under appropriate laboratory techniques. Artificially generated thermal or hot plasma has applications in heavy and electronic industries; however, the non-thermal (cold atmospheric or low temperature) plasma finds its applications mainly in biomedicals and therapeutics. One of the important characteristics of LTP is that the constituent particles in the plasma stream can often maintain an overall temperature of nearly room temperature, even though the thermal parameters of the free electrons go up to 1 to 10 keV. The presence of reactive chemical species at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure makes LTP a bio-tolerant tool in biomedical applications with many advantages over conventional techniques. This review presents some of the important biomedical applications of cold-atmospheric plasma (CAP) or low-temperature plasma (LTP) in modern medicine, showcasing its effect in antimicrobial therapy, cancer treatment, drug/gene delivery, tissue engineering, implant modifications, interaction with biomolecules, etc., and overviews some present challenges in the field of plasma medicine.

Biopolymers have intrinsic drawbacks compared to traditional plastics, such as hydrophilicity, poor thermo-mechanical behaviours, and barrier characteristics. Therefore, biopolymers or their film modifications offer a chance to create packaging materials with specified properties. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) or Low temperature plasma (LTP) has a wide range of applications and has recently been used in the food industry as a potent tool for non-thermal food processing. Though its original purpose was to boost polymer surface energy for better adherence and printability, it has since become an effective technique for surface decontamination of food items and food packaging materials. These revolutionary innovative food processing methods enable the balance between the economic constraints and higher quality while ensuring food stability and minimal processing. For CAP to be considered as a viable alternative food processing technology, it must positively affect food quality. Food products may have their desired functional qualities by adjusting the conditions for cold plasma formation. Cold plasma is a non-thermal method that has little effects on the treated materials and is safe for the environment. In this review, we focus on recent cold plasma advances on various food matrices derived from plants and animals with the aim of highlighting potential applications, ongoing research, and market trends.

Plasma treatment has emerged as a promising tool for manipulating plant microbiomes and metabolites. This review explores the diverse applications and effects of plasma on these biological systems. It is hypothesized that plasma treatment will not induce substantial changes in the composition of plant microbiomes or the concentration of plant metabolites. We delve into the mechanisms by which plasma can regulate microbial communities, enhance antimicrobial activity, and recruit beneficial microbes to mitigate stress. Furthermore, we discuss the optimization of plasma parameters for effective microbiome interaction and the role of plasmids in plant–microbe interactions. By characterizing plasmidome responses to plasma exposure and investigating transcriptional and metabolomic shifts, we provide insights into the potential of plasma as a tool for engineering beneficial plant–microbe interactions. The review presented herein demonstrates that plasma treatment induces substantial changes in both microbial community composition and metabolite levels, thereby refuting our initial hypothesis. Finally, we integrate plasmidome, transcriptome, and metabolome data to develop a comprehensive understanding of plasma’s effects on plant biology and explore future perspectives for agricultural applications.

The application of plasma technology in agriculture has emerged as a promising approach to enhance plant health and manage microbial interactions, offering potential solutions for sustainable crop production and disease control. This study contributes to this field by exploring the effects of plasma treatments on plant physiology and microbial dynamics, with a focus on their potential to improve agricultural outcomes. This investigation aims to systematically determine optimal plasma seed treatment parameters for enhancing plant vigor and promoting beneficial microbial associations while minimizing pathogenic interactions in Arabidopsis thaliana. This study focuses on understanding the effects of various plasma treatments on chlorophyll content, root length, microbial growth, and microbial quantification in plants and microbes. The treatments involve the use of an atmospheric jet plasma handheld device, a globe plasma, and a glow discharge plasma chamber with air and argon. These treatments were applied for varying time durations from 10 s to 5 min. The results demonstrated that the globe plasma treatment for 1 min significantly enhanced chlorophyll a extraction and root length, outperforming the other treatments. Additionally, the study examined the impact of plasma on plant–microbe interactions to assess whether plasma treatments affect beneficial microbes. Plasma treatments showed minimal impact on most beneficial microbe activity, though species-specific sensitivities were observed, with Pseudomonas cedrina showing moderate growth inhibition, revealing no significant disruption to their activity. The microbial quantification assays indicated that the globe plasma treatment effectively reduced microbial counts, while combined treatment with plant and microbe plasma together did not yield significant changes. Additionally, the chlorophyll estimation of plasma-treated samples indicated that the globe plasma and atmospheric jet plasma treatments were effective in enhancing chlorophyll content, whereas the combined treatment with both plant and microbe plasma did not yield significant changes. These findings suggest that plasma treatments, especially the globe plasma, are effective in improving plant health and controlling microbial activity. Future research should focus on optimizing plasma conditions, exploring the influence of plasma parameters and the underlying mechanisms, and expanding the scope to include a wider range of plant species and microbial strains to maximize the benefits of plasma technology in agriculture.

Airborne heavy metal (HM) aerosols pose significant threats to human health, particularly in industrial settings where fine particulate matter (PM) mediates deep respiratory exposure. Here, we report a non-thermal plasma (NTP)-functionalized activated carbon fiber (ACF)/boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) hybrid filtration platform for enhanced aerosol HM capture and filtration. Plasma activation introduces surface functional moieties, while BNNT incorporation provides active sites and hierarchical structuring for particle entrapment and filtration. Filtration performance was evaluated using manganese chloride (MnCl2) and sodium chloride (NaCl) model systems. This work presents a potential scalable and environmentally relevant approach for advanced HM aerosol capture.