Nitric oxide modulates the responses of osteoclast formation to static magnetic fields
Zhang J, Ding C, Meng X, Shang P · 2018
View Original AbstractStatic magnetic fields alter bone cell formation through nitric oxide pathways, with effects occurring even at weak 500 nT levels.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed bone cells to three different strengths of static magnetic fields to study how they affect osteoclast formation (cells that break down bone tissue). They found that very strong magnetic fields (16 Tesla) reduced osteoclast formation through increased nitric oxide production, while weaker fields (500 nT and 0.2 T) had the opposite effect. This suggests magnetic fields can influence bone health by altering cellular signaling pathways.
Why This Matters
This research reveals that magnetic fields can directly influence bone cell behavior through nitric oxide pathways, adding another dimension to our understanding of EMF biological effects. While the study used extremely strong magnetic fields (16 Tesla is thousands of times stronger than typical MRI machines), the fact that even very weak fields (500 nT) produced measurable effects is noteworthy. The 500 nT exposure is actually within the range of some everyday magnetic field exposures from household appliances and power lines. What makes this study particularly significant is its demonstration that the body's nitric oxide system - crucial for cardiovascular health and cellular communication - responds differently depending on magnetic field strength. This suggests our bodies have evolved mechanisms to detect and respond to magnetic field variations, which challenges the assumption that non-ionizing EMF exposures are biologically inert.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.0005, 200, 16000 mG
Exposure Context
This study used 0.0005, 200, 16000 mG for magnetic fields:
- 25x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 5x above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
To study whether Nitric oxide modulates the responses of osteoclast formation to static magnetic fields.
In this study, 500 nT of hypomagnetic field (HyMF), 0.2 T of moderate SMF (MMF) and 16 T of high SM...
Under 16 T, osteoclast formation was markedly decreased with enhanced NO synthase (NOS) activity, th...
Show BibTeX
@article{j_2018_nitric_oxide_modulates_the_490,
author = {Zhang J and Ding C and Meng X and Shang P},
title = {Nitric oxide modulates the responses of osteoclast formation to static magnetic fields},
year = {2018},
doi = {10.1080/15368378.2017.1414057},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15368378.2017.1414057},
}