Suppression of Cell Metabolism by Structuring Water under Hydrophobic-Gas Pressure

Abstract

We propose a new method to suppress cell metabolism by dissolving hydrophobic gas into intracellular water, and structuring it under hydrophobic-gas pressure. Xenon, krypton, argon, and helium gases show death inhibitory effects on all test bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus salivarius) suspended in physiological saline with no nutrient component during storage under the conditions. In addition, different death inhibitory effects are observed among the five test bacteria, and this proposed method is more effective for gram-negative bacteria with thin cell walls than for gram-positive bacteria with thick cell walls. Further, xenon gas exhibit more significant effects for death inhibition than any other test gases, and the optimum initial partial pressure to inhibit the death is observed only for xenon gas in the present experimental conditions. Consequently, it is experimentally suggested that the cell metabolism can be suppressed almost perfectly by making the optimum water structure.