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Updated: Jul 15, 2025
Assessing the Influence of Personality on Sensitivity to Magnetic Fields in Zebrafish
Published on: March 18, 2019
Effects of 0.4 T, 3.0 T and 9.4 T static magnetic fields on development, behaviour and immune response in zebrafish
Long-Sheng Tang1, Cheng-Zeng Qiu2, Hao-Yi Zhang2
1College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, No. 130 Changjiang West Road, Hefei 230036, China; School of Statistics and Applied Mathematics, Anhui University of Finance & Economics, Bengbu Anhui 233030, China.
Abstract:
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is widely applied in medical diagnosis due to its excellent non-invasiveness. With the increasing intensity of static magnetic field (SMF), the safety assessment of MRI has been ongoing. In this study, zebrafish larvae were exposed to SMFs of 0.4, 3.0, and 9.4 T for 2 h (h), and we found that there was no significant difference in the number of spontaneous tail swings, heart rate, and body length of zebrafish larvae in the treatment groups. The expression of development-related genes shha, pygo1, mylz3 and runx2b in the three SMF groups was almost not significantly different from the control group. Behavior tests unveiled a notable reduction in both the average speed and duration of high-speed movements in zebrafish larvae across all three SMF groups. In addition, the 0.4 and 3.0 T SMFs increased the migration of neutrophils in caudal fin injury, and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was also increased. To explore the mechanism of SMFs on zebrafish immune function, this study utilized aanat2-/- mutant fish to demonstrate the effect of melatonin (MT) involvement in SMFs on zebrafish immune function. This study provides experimental data for understanding the effects of SMFs on organisms, and also provides a new insight for exploring the relationship between magnetic fields and immune function.
Insights
Static magnetic fields (SMFs) used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) did not affect zebrafish development but altered their behavior and immune responses. Melatonin
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Biophysics
- Toxicology
Background:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) utilizes static magnetic fields (SMFs) for medical diagnosis.
- Increasing SMF intensity necessitates ongoing safety assessments.
- Zebrafish larvae are a model organism for studying environmental impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of varying SMF intensities (0.4, 3.0, 9.4 Tesla) on zebrafish larvae.
- To assess the impact of SMFs on zebrafish development, behavior, and immune function.
- To explore the role of melatonin in mediating SMF effects on zebrafish immunity.
Main Methods:
- Zebrafish larvae were exposed to 0.4, 3.0, and 9.4 Tesla SMFs for 2 hours.
- Developmental parameters (tail swings, heart rate, body length) and gene expression were analyzed.
- Behavioral tests, neutrophil migration assays, and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression were evaluated.
- aanat2-/- mutant zebrafish were used to investigate melatonin's involvement.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed in spontaneous tail swings, heart rate, or body length.
- Development-related gene expression remained largely unchanged across SMF groups.
- Zebrafish exhibited reduced average speed and duration of high-speed movements in SMF-exposed groups.
- 0.4 and 3.0 Tesla SMFs increased neutrophil migration and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in injured caudal fins.
- Melatonin's involvement in SMF-induced immune changes was investigated using mutant fish.
Conclusions:
- While SMFs at tested intensities do not significantly impact zebrafish development, they alter locomotive behavior and modulate immune responses.
- Increased neutrophil migration and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression suggest an immune system impact.
- Melatonin may play a role in the interaction between SMFs and the zebrafish immune system.
- This study provides data on SMF effects on organisms and insights into magnetic field-immune system interactions.
