USE OF PLASMA-TREATED LIQUIDS TO TREAT HERPES KERATITIS
The present invention is directed toward the use of non-thermal plasma-treated liquids as treatment options for herpes keratitis.
1 . A method of treating herpes keratitis comprising irrigating an eye of a patient in need of such treatment with an aqueous fluid that has been previously contacted with a non-thermal plasma.
2 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the treating reduces the number of HSV-1 genome copies in the eye, relative to the number of HSV-1 genome copies without treatment.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the treating reduces the number of HSV-1 genome copies in the eye by at least 20%, relative to the number of HSV-1 genome copies before treatment.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is a liquid.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is a misted or aerosolized liquid.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid comprises saline, phosphate buffer, or a combination thereof.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-thermal plasma is derived from a dielectric barrier discharge, a corona or pulsed corona discharge, arc, spark, gliding arc, radio frequency discharge, microwave discharge or any combination thereof.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plasma is a non-thermal plasma having an intensity of at least about 0.1 J/cm 2 at the surface of a plasma source electrode
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid that has been contacted with the non-thermal plasma for a time in a range of from about 5 seconds to about 5 minutes.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the irrigating is done within a time in a range of from about one minute to about 10 minutes after the fluid has been contacted with the non-thermal plasma.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the irrigating is done for a period in a range of from about 5 seconds to about 5 minutes.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the irrigating is done two or more times.
13 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the non-thermal plasma is derived from a dielectric barrier discharge.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-thermal plasma is generated using a configuration providing a maximum frequency in a range of from about 0.5 to about 2 kHz.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-thermal plasma is generated using a configuration providing an amplitude in a range of from about 5 to 25 kV.