Effect of Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species Generated by Electric Discharges on the Primary Structure of Proteins and Biological Materials

The effect of active forms of oxygen and nitrogen generated by cold plasma of a corona electric discharge, pulsed radiation of hot plasma, and UV radiation of a low-pressure mercury lamp on the protein albumin; the amino acids tyrosine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine; gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria’ and micromycetes has been studied. The degree of degradation of all samples was estimated by a decrease in fluorescence, and the survival of microorganisms was evaluated by the value of CFU after cultivation. It has been found that fluorescence is determined by the primary structure of the protein, while the survival of microorganisms, by structures of the second and higher orders.