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[Xenon: From rare gaz to doping product]
Camille Tassel1, Brendan Le Daré2, Isabelle Morel3
1CHU de Rennes, CHU Pontchaillou, laboratoire de toxicologie biologique et médico-légale, 35033 Rennes, France; Université Rennes 1, faculté de pharmacie, 35043 Rennes, France.
Presse Medicale (Paris, France : 1983)
|March 1, 2016
Summary
Xenon, a noble gas, acts as a neuroprotective agent and stimulates erythropoietin (EPO) synthesis by increasing hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF). This makes xenon a potential new doping agent, challenging current detection methods.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Pharmacology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Doping involves artificial enhancement of physical or mental performance.
- Xenon, a noble gas, has anesthetic properties and emerging applications in sports.
- Understanding xenon's physiological effects is crucial for doping control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore xenon's potential as a doping agent.
- To investigate xenon's mechanisms of action related to performance enhancement.
- To assess the implications of xenon doping for detection strategies.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on xenon's pharmacological and physiological effects.
- Analysis of xenon's interaction with NMDA glutamate receptors.
- Examination of xenon's impact on erythropoietin (EPO) and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathways.
Main Results:
- Xenon exhibits neuroprotective effects through NMDA receptor antagonism.
- Xenon stimulates erythropoietin (EPO) synthesis via increased hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF).
- These effects suggest xenon's potential for performance enhancement.
Conclusions:
- Xenon possesses properties that could be exploited for doping purposes.
- Its mechanisms, including neuroprotection and EPO stimulation, present a novel doping challenge.
- Current doping detection methods may need to be advanced to identify xenon use.