Evaluation of the antimicrobial action of plasma activated water on amniotic membrane

ntroduction The potential use of the Amniotic Membrane (AM) in different applications has been widely studied and the need to guarantee the sterility of this material is essential for its use. Due to the increase in bacterial resistance, it is important to research new sterilization techniques. Material and methods The aim of this study was to analyze the antimicrobial action of plasma-activated reverse osmosis (RO) water on contaminated amniotic membrane using ATCC® strain of Escherichia coli (25922), Klebsiella pneumoniae (13883), Staphylococcus aureus (6538). The AM was contaminated, after which the PAW was placed in contact with the AM for 90 min. Plasma, gliding arc of argon and compressed air were used to activate the water. Results The results obtained were a cell viability of 11% with the refrigerated PAW and 15% with the ambient PAW for K. pneumoniae, 9% with the refrigerated PAW and 13% with the ambient PAW for S. aureus and 10% with the refrigerated PAW and 14% with the ambient PAW for E. coli, observing a better antimicrobial action of the refrigerated PAW. A greater reduction in CFU was observed when using refrigerated PAW + AM. Conclusion It is concluded that PAWs have a significant antimicrobial action, but not enough to perform AM sterilization.