Theoretical investigation on the effect of terahertz wave on Ca2+ transport in the calcium channel

Lianghao Guo; Wenfei Bo; Kaicheng Wang; Shaomeng Wang; Yubin Gong

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103561

Theoretical investigation on the effect of terahertz wave on Ca²⁺ transport in the calcium channel

iScience. 2021 Dec 3;25(1):103561. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103561. eCollection 2022 Jan 21.

Authors

Lianghao Guo¹, Wenfei Bo², Kaicheng Wang¹, Shaomeng Wang^{1

3}, Yubin Gong^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054, China.
² National University of Defense Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710106, China.
³ National Key Lab on Vacuum Electronics, Medico-Engineering Cooperation on Applied Medicine Research Center, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 610054, China.

Abstract

The question of whether terahertz (THz) waves can interact with ions in channels of nerve cells and cause a further reaction has attracted much attention. To answer this question, we investigate the spontaneous radiation generated by Ca²⁺ moving in calcium channels and the effect of THz radiation on the transport of Ca²⁺ by solving the mathematical physical model through Brownian dynamics (BD) simulations. It is obtained that the moving Ca²⁺ in a calcium channel can generate electromagnetic radiation, the corresponding spectrum of which is concentrated in the THz range. Meanwhile, both the ion number in the channel and the background temperature are proved to have significant effects on the spontaneous emission spectra. The studies also show that external THz radiation can accelerate Ca²⁺ transport through the ion channel. These results are expected to provide a theoretical basis for the future treatment of THz waves in the neurological field.

Keywords: Physics; Radiation physics; Theoretical physics.