Magnetite Nanodiscs Activate Mechanotransductive Calcium Signaling in Diverse Cell Types

Remote magnetomechanical stimulation using magnetic nanomaterials has emerged as a robust and minimally invasive technique for modulating neuronal activity. However, despite the presence of machinery to convert mechanical force into biochemical signals in many types of cells, magnetomechanical stimulation of non-neuronal tissue remains largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that in the presence of weak magnetic fields (12-56 mT) with frequencies 5-125 Hz, magnetite nanodiscs (MNDs) activate ubiquitous mechano-sensitive calcium signaling pathways, including transmembrane calcium entry, the release of intracellular calcium reserves, and store-operated calcium signaling. MNDs mediate calcium transients in cells with disparate calcium signaling machinery, such as cardiomyocytes and hippocampal astrocytes. The characteristics of these calcium responses depend on the protein machinery available in each cell type. These findings expand the reach of cellular modulation strategies using magnetic nanoparticles to non-neuronal cells and thereby open new applications probing endocrine, immune, and circulatory functions and related disorders with remote magnetic approaches.