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Abstract
Some studies have shown a decrease in pineal N-acetyltransferase (NAT) activity and/or blood melatonin concentration in rodents exposed to extremely low-frequency (ELF) and low magnetic flux density electromagnetic fields. The mechanism/s involved in such effects are not known. It has been hypothesized that the magnetic fields (MF) could act on the pineal gland directly and/or indirectly through the retina. The aim of this work was to study whether MFs could modify NAT activity through a direct effect on the gland. Pineal glands obtained from rats sacrificed in the middle of the dark period were exposed during a 1-h incubation to 10-, 100-, or 1,000-μT, 50-Hz, sinusoidal MFs. The results showed that the glands exposed to the highest magnetic flux density responded with a significant decrease in NAT activity. The data obtained from these experiments support the idea that the pineal gland can be directly affected by ELF electromagnetic fields.