Influence of magnetic fields on phagocyte activation

Abstract

The phagocytic cells in blood have a membrane-bound enzyme, NADPHoxidase, which can reduce oxygen molecules in superoxide radical anion.; when exposed to appropriate stimuli [l]. The interaction between phagocytl:s and pathogenic micro-organisms or particles invading the blood induces activation of this membrane oxidase, which triggers a metabolic response of the cells, and a number of oxygen radicals are generated [2]. This function of phagocytes is very important in bacterial killing. As a result of radical recombination, electronically excited molecules are produced. Their relaxation to the ground state leads to the emission of light quanta. That is why this process is accompanied by chemiluminescence (CL) [3]. The kinetics of this CL represent the time course of radical generation and consequently phagocyte activation [4]. Theoretical considerations suggest that magnetic fields can modify the rate of radical reactions because of the paramagnetic properties of free radicals [S]. Therefore some kind of magnetic field effect on the processes of phagocyte activation and bacterial killing may be expected. In this paper we present some preliminary results of a CL investigation on the influence of one particular kind of alternating magnetic field, used in physiotherapy, on the activation of phagocytic cells in blood.