title: The diverse biological properties of the chemically inert noble gases.
abstract: The noble gases represent an intriguing scientific paradox. They are extremely inert chemically but display a remarkable spectrum of clinically useful biological properties. Despite a relative paucity of knowledge of their mechanisms of action, some of the noble gases have been used successfully in the clinic. Studies with xenon have suggested that the noble gases as a class may exhibit valuable biological properties such as anaesthesia; amelioration of ischemic damage; tissue protection prior to transplantation; analgesic properties; and a potentially wide range of other clinically useful effects. Xenon has been shown to be safe in humans, and has useful pharmacokinetic properties such as rapid onset, fast wash out etc. The main limitations in wider use are that: many of the fundamental biochemical studies are still lacking; the lighter noble gases are likely to manifest their properties only under hyperbaric conditions, impractical in surgery; and administration of xenon using convectional gaseous anaesthesia equipment is inefficient, making its use very expensive. There is nonetheless a significant body of published literature on the biochemical, pharmacological, and clinical properties of noble gases but no comprehensive reviews exist that summarize their properties and the existing knowledge of their models of action at the molecular (atomic) level. This review provides such an up-to-date summary of the extensive, useful biological properties of noble gases as drugs and prospects for wider application of these atoms.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Manufacturing, Bag 10 Clayton South MDC 3169, Australia; Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 392 Royal Parade, Parkville 3052, Australia; Latrobe Institute for Molecular Science, Science Dr, Bundoora 3083, Australia; School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Flinders University, Bedford Park 5042, Australia. Electronic address: dave.winkler@csiro.au.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Manufacturing, Bag 10 Clayton South MDC 3169, Australia.
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.affiliation: Medical R&D, Air Liquide Santé International, Centre de Recherche Paris-Saclay, 1, Chemin de la porte des Loges, BP 126 Les loges en Josas, 78354 Jouy en Josas Cédex, France.
authors.forename: Géraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Farjot
authors.affiliation: Medical R&D, Air Liquide Santé International, Centre de Recherche Paris-Saclay, 1, Chemin de la porte des Loges, BP 126 Les loges en Josas, 78354 Jouy en Josas Cédex, France; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lafayette College, Easton, PA 18042, USA.
authors.forename: Ira
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Katz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D005741:Noble Gases / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014978:Xenon / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D005741:Noble Gases; D014978:Xenon
keywords: Chemically inert; Clinical applications; Drug delivery; In vitro and in vivo studies; Noble gases