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Low magnetic fields stimulate cardiac mitochondrial bioenergetics with a bell-shaped response: Possibly via a radical pair mechanism

Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal · 2025 · Benefit · Low evidence

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BenefitLow evidencePaper 6915

Static magnetic fields of approximately 2.7 × 10^-4 to 1.9 × 10^-3 T produced a bell-shaped increase of up to 40% in State 3 respiration and similar responses in several oxidative phosphorylation enzymes, while Complex I activity changed little. Mitochondrial…

Study snapshot

PublicationComputational and Structural Biotechnology Journal · 2025
Study typein_vitro
Reported directionBenefit
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Low magnetic fields (LMFs) of less than 1 × 10−3 Tesla (T) affect numerous biological processes, including plant growth and bird migration. At a cellular level, LMFs influence intracellular Ca2+ concentrations and generation of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS). However, the mechanisms that account for these effects are controversial. Here, by applying a static LMF, ranging from ∼2.7 × 10−4 to ∼1.9 × 10−3 T, to mitochondria isolated from adult rat hearts, a bell-shaped increase in State 3 respiration (S3R) was observed, up to 40 %. A similar LMF-induced increase in S3R was also observed in mitochondria from rat hearts subjected to ischemia-reperfusion injury. The LMF-mediated bell-shaped response was also observed in enzymes activity involved in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), including Complexes II, III, and V, and citrate synthase. By contrast, similar LMF caused little change in the enzymatic activity of Complex I. Interestingly, mROS generation responded to LMF with an inverted bell-shaped decrease. We propose a radical pair mechanism of magnetoreception in cytochromes, catalytic reactions, and iron-sulfur clusters within the OXPHOS enzymes to explain how an LMF can increase the likelihood of electron spin transitions from the singlet to triplet state and reverse it as the MF strength further increases, resulting in a bell-shaped response. Our results indicate that a narrow range of LMF can enhance mitochondrial bioenergetics and decrease mROS, through the radical pair mechanism of magnetoreception. These basic findings in isolated cardiac mitochondria may encourage future studies that apply quantum mechanics to explore the mitochondrial electron transfer system.

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typein_vitro
Effect directionbenefit
PopulationMitochondria isolated from adult rat hearts, including hearts subjected to ischemia-reperfusion injury
Sample sizeNot supplied
Exposurestatic low magnetic field · 0 MHz
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 96% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Static magnetic fields of approximately 2.7 × 10^-4 to 1.9 × 10^-3 T produced a bell-shaped increase of up to 40% in State 3 respiration and similar responses in several oxidative phosphorylation enzymes, while Complex I activity changed little. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species showed an inverted bell-shaped decrease.

Outcomes measured

  • State 3 mitochondrial respiration
  • Oxidative phosphorylation enzyme activity
  • Complex I activity
  • Complex II activity
  • Complex III activity
  • Complex V activity
  • Citrate synthase activity
  • Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation

Limitations

  • Experiments were performed on isolated rat-heart mitochondria rather than intact animals or humans.
  • Exposure duration was not reported in the abstract.
  • The radical-pair mechanism was proposed rather than directly established.
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "static low magnetic field",
    "source": "laboratory-applied magnetic field",
    "frequency_mhz": 0,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Mitochondria isolated from adult rat hearts, including hearts subjected to ischemia-reperfusion injury",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "State 3 mitochondrial respiration",
    "Oxidative phosphorylation enzyme activity",
    "Complex I activity",
    "Complex II activity",
    "Complex III activity",
    "Complex V activity",
    "Citrate synthase activity",
    "Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Static magnetic fields of approximately 2.7 × 10^-4 to 1.9 × 10^-3 T produced a bell-shaped increase of up to 40% in State 3 respiration and similar responses in several oxidative phosphorylation enzymes, while Complex I activity changed little. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species showed an inverted bell-shaped decrease.",
  "effect_direction": "benefit",
  "limitations": [
    "Experiments were performed on isolated rat-heart mitochondria rather than intact animals or humans.",
    "Exposure duration was not reported in the abstract.",
    "The radical-pair mechanism was proposed rather than directly established."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.96,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "low magnetic fields",
    "static magnetic field",
    "cardiac mitochondria",
    "mitochondrial bioenergetics",
    "oxidative phosphorylation",
    "reactive oxygen species",
    "radical pair mechanism",
    "magnetoreception",
    "ischemia-reperfusion",
    "bell-shaped response"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}
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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2025.11.055
PubMed: Not supplied

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