Two main properties of atomic nuclei-mass and nuclear magnetic moments-are origin of many biological effects. Mass-dependent isotope effects have been studied for a long time. The effect of magnetic isotopes having a magnetic moment and spin was first shown in the early twenty-first century for the magnetic isotope magnesium 25Mg on enzymatic ATP synthesis. This stimulated the search for experimental evidence and theoretical justification of magnetic nuclei influence on biological processes. This review contains the results of scientific research on the magnesium magnetic isotope effects in microbiology. Microorganisms have been found to be sensitive to the presence of nuclear magnetic moment of magnesium isotope 25Mg compared with non-magnetic 24,26Mg isotopes.
Read full abstract