2007 Volume 1 Issue 1 Pages 139-145
The inhibitory action of compressed hydrocarbon gases on the growth of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was quantitatively assayed using calorimetric method. Growth thermograms were drawn to determine the 50% inhibitory pressure (IP50) and the minimum inhibitory pressure (MIP), which are regarded as indices of the toxicity of hydrocarbon gases. Based on MIP values, the inhibitory potency of the gases increases in the order: methane <ethane <propane. The inhibitory potency of some hydrocarbon gases was found to be correlated to their hydrophobicity. These results suggest that the inhibitory mechanism might involve an enrichment of the gas in some hydrophobic region of the cell membrane, with impaired function of the membrane.
