A study introduced a new treatment for nail fungus, Trichophyton rubrum, using a portable pulsed cold air plasma jet. The technology utilizes shock waves to effectively destroy the fungus, achieving a 90% eradication rate with specific treatment protocols, marking a significant advancement in fungal treatment technologies. Researchers developed a plasma jet device that effectively kills 90% of Trichophyton rubrum fungus in nails, utilizing shock waves from pulsed cold air plasma, representing a breakthrough in fungal infection treatment.
Recently, the team led by Prof. Qing Huang from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed using a portable pulsed cold air plasma jet (PP-CAPJ) to treat Trichophyton rubrum in nails. They revealed that the shock wave from PP-CAPJ could effectively kill this fungus.
This study was published in Applied Physics Letters . Onychomycosis is a fungal nail infection, which is the most common nail disease. Trichophyton rubrum is a common harmful fungus in onychomycosis.
Because it is hidden in nails, it is difficult to kill directly using general methods. Figure 1. Treatment of nail models with different thickness by portable pulsed cold air plasma jet.
Credit: Ying Zhang In this study, the researchers used a portable pulsed cold air plasma jet device to kill Trichophyton rubrum in nails, and studied the related mechanism. They established a nail model of onychomycosis infection, and then used PP-CAPJ to trea.