Spin Biochemistry Modulates Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Production by Radio Frequency Magnetic Fields

The effects of weak magnetic fields on the biological production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from intracellular superoxide (O-2(center dot-)) and extracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were investigated in vitro with rat pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (rPASMC). A decrease in O-2(center dot-) and an increase in H2O2 concentrations were observed in the presence of a 7 MHz radio frequency (RF) at 10 mu T-RMS and static 45 mu T magnetic fields. We propose that O-2(center dot-) and H2O2 production in some metabolic processes occur through singlet-triplet modulation of semiquinone flavin (FADH(center dot)) enzymes and O-2(center dot-) spin-correlated radical pairs. Spin-radical pair products are modulated by the 7 MHz RF magnetic fields that presumably decouple flavin hyperfine interactions during spin coherence. RF flavin hyperfine decoupling results in an increase of H2O2 singlet state products, which creates cellular oxidative stress and acts as a secondary messenger that affects cellular proliferation. This study demonstrates the interplay between O-2(center dot-) and H2O2 production when influenced by RF magnetic fields and underscores the subtle effects of low-frequency magnetic fields on oxidative metabolism, ROS signaling, and cellular growth.