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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Use of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance in Biological Samples at Ambient Temperature and 77 K
Published on: January 11, 2019
The phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced oxidative burst in rat peritoneal neutrophils is increased by a 0.1
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720-3200, USA.
Abstract:
Magnetic fields (MF) may affect biological systems by increasing free radical concentrations. To test this, we have investigated whether low frequency (60 Hz) low intensity (0.1 mT) MF can modulate the phorbol 12-myristate 13- acetate (PMA) induced respiratory burst in primed rat peritoneal neutrophils, followed in real time using the dye 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin (DCFH), which reacts with free radical-derived oxidants such as H2O2 (which is formed from the dismutation of superoxide) to become 2',7'-dichlorofluorecein (DCF), a highly fluorescent compound. In the presence of the MF, a 12.4% increase in the fluorescence signal was observed in PMA-stimulated neutrophils (n = 5, P < 0.02, 18 pairs of measurements). We believe this represents the first experimental observation of MF influencing events involving free radical species generated during signal transduction in living cells.
