Infrared spectroscopic demonstration of magnetic orientation in SH-SY5Y neuronal-like cells induced by static or 50 Hz magnetic fields

Abstract

Purpose: To study the response of neuronal-like cells to an applied static or low-frequency magnetic field.

Materials and methods: Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy was used to investigate the overall behavior of SH-SY5Y neuronal-like cells exposed to a static or 50 Hz magnetic fields at intensities up to 1 mT generated by two Helmholtz coils driven by direct current or alternate current voltage. The Helmholtz coils were placed into an incubator in a 5% CO₂/95% air humidified at 37 °C.

Results: A significant increase in intensity of the Amide I band and of CH₂ stretching vibrations in neuronal-like FTIR spectra appeared after 6 h exposure to static or 50 Hz magnetic fields.

Conclusions: These findings can be easily explained assuming that proteins α-helices and lipids contents in cellular membrane aligned toward the direction of the applied magnetic field after exposure, inducing an increase of ions flux across cellular membrane channels after exposure to a magnetic field, changing cellular functions.

Keywords:

• 50 Hz magnetic field
• static magnetic field
• FTIR Spectroscopy
• neuronal-like cells
• cellular membrane channel
• Amide I
• CH² vibration

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Prof. Riccardo Ientile (Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morpho-functional images, University of Messina, Italy) for his kind and precious collaboration regarding the preparation of SH-SY5Y neuronal-like cells samples.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Emanuele Calabrò

Emanuele Calabrò is Full Professor of Physics at the Technological Technical Institute of Messina (Italy). He received the National Qualification as University Professor in Applied Physics and the International Prize for Excellence in Research by the Academic Brand Awards-2018. He has published more than 100 refereed papers and monographs.

Salvatore Magazù

Salvatore Magazù is Experimental Physics Full Professor at Messina University (Italy) and CISFA Consortium President. He was chairman of Scientific Committee on Glass Forming Systems at European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and Scientific Committee member at Institute- Laue-Langevin (France). He received the Scientia Europaea 2000 Prize by French Academy of Sciences.