In the Ascendant of Argon Biology / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

ABSTRACT

Argon is the most abundant inert gas in the atmosphere. For the past few years, the biological functions of argon have been discovered and gradually recognized by scientists. Argon, as a gaseous molecule with cytoprotective functions, could positively affect the physiological and pathological processes to varying degrees. Compared with the classic gasotransmitters, argon is non-toxic, harmless, and abundant, attracting extensive attention in all professions. This review outlined the biological effects and the potential molecular mechanisms of argon, and summarized the supply methods and the positive roles of argon in neuroprotection, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory disease, organ transplantation, and other animal clinical models, and also overviewed the research progress in post-harvest preservation of agricultural products and plant tolerance to abiotic stress. The mechanisms in the above studies about the biological effects of argon were closely related to argon control of receptors, ion channel proteins, reprogramming gene expression, and re-establishment of redox and ion homeostasis. Meanwhile, argon-regulated phosphorylation and dephosphorylation modification in enzyme proteins might be crucial in argon biology. The potential applications of argon have excellent prospects in medicine and agriculture with security and cost advantages.