Purpose: To evaluate the biological effects of static magnetic fields (SMFs) up to 13 Tesla (T), with respect to superoxide behavior, by determining the effect on mutagenicity in superoxide dismutase (SOD)-deficient Escherichia coli strain QC774, and its parental strain GC4468.
Materials and methods: Experimental strains were exposed to a 5, 10, or 13T SMF for 24 h at 37°C in Luria-Bertani medium. To evaluate mutagenicity after SMF exposure, the mutation frequency in thymine synthesis genes was determined. The effect of exposure to a 5 or 13T SMF on mutagenicity induced by plumbagin was also investigated.
Results: No statistically significant differences in the mutation frequency in thymine synthesis genes were observed between SMF-exposed cells and unexposed cells at any of the applied magnetic flux densities. Furthermore, exposure to SMFs up to 13T did not affect mutagenicity induced by plumbagin.
Conclusion: Exposure to SMFs up to 13T caused neither mutagenicity nor co-mutagenicity in the SOD-deficient E. coli strain QC774 or in its parental strain GC4468, suggesting that exposure to strong SMFs does not affect the behavior of superoxides in these microorganisms.
Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.