Biologic effects of the static magnetic field generated by a 0.5 T magnetic resonance tomograph on the enzyme activity of catalase and creatine kinase in the rat

PURPOSE: We investigated possible alterations in the enzyme activity of catalase and isozyme MB-creatine kinase induced by prolonged exposure of laboratory rodents to a static magnetic field generated by a .5 T Magnetic Resonance unit. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty Wistar albino mice were divided into two groups of 15 mice, one to be exposed to the static magnetic field for 12 hours and the other to be kept in the same environmental conditions as a control group. Immediately after the exposure a peripheral venous blood sample was collected, the cardiac muscle was removed from the mice and the enzyme activity of catalase and MB-creatine kinase were assayed using the spectrophotometric analysis. RESULTS: No statistically significant variation was detected between the enzyme activity of catalase and MB-creatine kinase in the serum and cardiac muscle of the exposed versus the control mice. In the mice exposed to the static magnetic field the enzyme activity of serum and cardiac muscle catalase were respectively .2154 U/L and .0707 U/L after 10 minutes; they were; .2699 U/L and .0946 U/L after 160 minutes. In the control mice the enzyme activity of serum and cardiac muscle catalase were respectively .1941 U/L and .0707 U/L after 10 minutes; they were .2061 U/L and .1068 U/L after 160 minutes. The enzyme activity of MB-creatine kinase in mice was measured in the exposed (80.8 U/L) versus the control (79.6 U/L) group: the difference does not exceed standard deviation. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our results seem to exclude any alteration in the activity of catalase and MB-CK after 12 hours' exposure to the static magnetic field. However some homeostatic mechanisms peculiar to pluricellular organisms might act in vivo to adapt to the effects of the static magnetic field during exposure.