A research team led by Prof. ZHANG Xin from High Magnetic Field laboratory, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has revealed how magnetic properties vary in mice under different physiological and pathological conditions.
Their study, published in Fundamental Research and Redox Biology, explores the fascinating connection between magnetism and biology.
Although scientists have made significant strides in understanding how magnetic fields affect living organisms, individual variations in these responses have remained unclear.
In this study, the team analyzed biological systems from a magnetic perspective. They discovered that factors like abnormal iron metabolism, imbalances in antioxidants, and changes in free radical levels influence the magnetism of living tissues and how they respond to externally applied magnetic fields.
The team also studied mice that have been knocked out a gene called NRF2, which is responsible for regulating redox balance. In these NRF2 knockout mice, free radical levels were higher, and the magnetic properties of their liver and spleen changed significantly—likely due to the high iron content in these organs and chemical reactions, that can lead to dramatic magnetic property changes.
These findings provide a deeper understanding of how the body's iron levels and redox balance can influence its magnetic properties, potentially offering a new way to track disease progression.
Iron metabolism, free radical metabolism, and redox imbalance lead to changes in the magnetic properties of tissue in mice. (Image by FENG Chuanlin)