Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Aug 5;26(15):7551.
doi: 10.3390/ijms26157551.

Developments in the Study of Inert Gas Biological Effects and the Underlying Molecular Mechanisms

Mei-Ning Tong  1 , Xia Li  1 , Jie Cheng  1 , Zheng-Lin Jiang  1
Affiliations
Review

Developments in the Study of Inert Gas Biological Effects and the Underlying Molecular Mechanisms

Mei-Ning Tong et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

It has long been accepted that breathing gases that are physiologically inert include helium (He), neon (Ne), nitrogen (N2), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and hydrogen (H2). The term "inert gas" has been used to describe them due to their unusually high chemical stability. However, as investigations have advanced, many have shown that inert gas can have specific biological impacts when exposed to high pressure or atmospheric pressure. Additionally, different inert gases have different effects on intracellular signal transduction, ion channels, and cell membrane receptors, which are linked to their anesthetic and cell protection effects in normal or pathological processes. Through a selective analysis of the representative literature, this study offers a concise overview of the state of research on the biological impacts of inert gas and their molecular mechanisms.

Keywords: biological effect; inert gas; molecular mechanism; research progress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mechanism of biological effects of inert gases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Yin H., Chen Z., Zhao H., Huang H., Liu W. Noble gas and neuroprotection: From bench to bedside. Front. Pharmacol. 2022;13:1028688. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1028688. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hancock J.T. Are protein cavities and pockets commonly used by redox active signalling molecules? Plants. 2023;12:2594. doi: 10.3390/plants12142594. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Li H.M., Shen L., Ge J.W., Zhang R.F. The transfer of hydrogen from inert gas to therapeutic gas. Med. Gas. Res. 2017;7:265–272. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kot J., Sobczak O., Młynarczyk B., Sharma R., Lenkiewicz E., Sićko Z. Decompression sickness of medical personnel of a hyperbaric centre: A report of cases during 25 years of activity. Int. Marit. Health. 2024;75:228–235. doi: 10.5603/imh.101076. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Battino R., Seybold P., Campanell F. Correlations involving the solubility of gases in water at 298.15 K and 101325 Pa. J. Chem. Eng. Data. 2011;56:727–732. doi: 10.1021/je101070h. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources