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Static magnetic field exposure-induced oxidative response and caspase-independent apoptosis in rat liver: effect of selenium and vitamin E supplementations.

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Ghodbane S, Ammari M, Lahbib A, Sakly M, Abdelmelek H. · 2015

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Strong static magnetic fields caused liver cell death in rats that antioxidants couldn't fully prevent, suggesting complex biological damage pathways.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers exposed rats to strong static magnetic fields (128 mT) for one hour daily over five days and found significant liver damage, including increased oxidative stress and cell death through a process called apoptosis. The brain showed no similar damage, suggesting the liver is more vulnerable to magnetic field exposure. Even antioxidant supplements like selenium and vitamin E couldn't fully protect against the liver cell death.

Why This Matters

This study demonstrates that static magnetic fields can cause measurable biological damage at exposure levels far higher than typical consumer electronics but within the range of some medical MRI machines and industrial equipment. The 128 mT exposure used here is roughly 2,500 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field and significantly higher than most everyday sources. What's particularly concerning is that antioxidant supplementation provided only partial protection, suggesting the cellular damage pathways may be more complex than simple oxidative stress. The liver-specific effects also indicate that different organs may have varying susceptibility to magnetic field exposure, which has important implications for occupational safety standards and medical device protocols.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
128 mG
Exposure Duration
1 h/day during five consecutive days

Exposure Context

This study used 128 mG for magnetic fields:

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 Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 128 mGExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Extreme Concern rangeFCC limit is 16x higher than this level

Study Details

In the present study, we investigated the implication of oxidative stress and apoptosis under static magnetic field (SMF) in the brain and liver.Moreover, we estimated the protective role of selenium and vitamin E in rat tissues against disorders induced by SMF.

Exposure of rats to SMF (128 mT, 1 h/day during five consecutive days) increased the activity of cat...

Cite This Study
Ghodbane S, Ammari M, Lahbib A, Sakly M, Abdelmelek H. (2015). Static magnetic field exposure-induced oxidative response and caspase-independent apoptosis in rat liver: effect of selenium and vitamin E supplementations. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 22(20):16060-16066, 2015a.
Show BibTeX
@article{s_2015_static_magnetic_field_exposureinduced_373,
  author = {Ghodbane S and Ammari M and Lahbib A and Sakly M and Abdelmelek H.},
  title = {Static magnetic field exposure-induced oxidative response and caspase-independent apoptosis in rat liver: effect of selenium and vitamin E supplementations.},
  year = {2015},
  doi = {10.1007/s11356-015-4802-2},
  url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-015-4802-2},
}
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-4802-2

Cited By (12 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Research shows strong magnetic fields can damage liver cells. A 2015 study found that exposing rats to powerful magnetic fields for just one hour daily caused significant liver cell death and oxidative stress, while brain tissue remained unaffected.
Yes, magnetic field exposure increases oxidative stress in liver tissue. Scientists found that rats exposed to strong magnetic fields showed 24% higher catalase activity in their livers, indicating the body was fighting increased oxidative damage.
Strong magnetic field exposure appears harmful to liver health based on animal studies. Researchers found that magnetic fields triggered liver cell death through a process called apoptosis, even when rats received protective antioxidant supplements.
Magnetic field exposure may increase liver cell death and oxidative damage. A study found that strong magnetic fields caused liver cells to die through a specific pathway involving mitochondrial damage, suggesting potential liver health risks.
Antioxidants provide limited protection against magnetic field damage. While selenium and vitamin E supplements restored some liver enzyme activity in exposed rats, they failed to prevent magnetic field-induced liver cell death completely.