Therapeutic Nuclear Magnetic Resonance affects the core clock mechanism and associated Hypoxia-inducible factor-1

Therapeutic nuclear magnetic resonance and intermittent hypoxia trigger time dependent on/off effects in circadian clocks and confirm a central role of superoxide in cellular magnetic field effects

Cellular magnetic field effects are assumed to base on coherent singlet-triplet interconversion of radical pairs that are sensitive to applied radiofrequency (RF) and weak magnetic fields (WEMFs), known as radical pair mechanism (RPM). As a leading model, the RPM explains how quantum effects can influence biochemical and cellular signalling. Consequently, radical pairs generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) that link the RPM to redox processes, such as the response to hypoxia and the circadian clock. Therapeutic nuclear magnetic resonance (tNMR) occupies a unique position in the RPM paradigm because of the used frequencies, which are far below the range of 0.1-100 MHz postulated for the RPM to occur. Nonetheless, tNMR was shown to induce RPM like effects, such as increased extracellular H2O2 levels and altered cellular bioenergetics. In this study we compared the impact of tNMR and intermittent hypoxia on the circadian clock, as well as the role of superoxide in tNMR induced ROS partitioning. We show that both, tNMR and intermittent hypoxia, exert on/off effects on cellular clocks that are dependent on the time of application (day versus night). In addition, our data provide further evidence that superoxide plays a central role in magnetic signal transduction. tNMR used in combination with scavengers, such as Vitamin C, led to strong ROS product redistributions. This discovery might represent the first indication of radical triads in biological systems.

Environmental and behavioral regulation of HIF-mitochondria crosstalk

Reduced oxygen availability (hypoxia) can lead to cell and organ damage. Therefore, aerobic species depend on efficient mechanisms to counteract detrimental consequences of hypoxia. Hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) and mitochondria are integral components of the cellular response to hypoxia and coordinate both distinct and highly intertwined adaptations. This leads to reduced dependence on oxygen, improved oxygen supply, maintained energy provision by metabolic remodeling and tapping into alternative pathways and increased resilience to hypoxic injuries. On one hand, many pathologies are associated with hypoxia and hypoxia can drive disease progression, for example in many cancer and neurological diseases. But on the other hand, controlled induction of hypoxia responses via HIFs and mitochondria can elicit profound health benefits and increase resilience. To tackle pathological hypoxia conditions or to apply health-promoting hypoxia exposures efficiently, cellular and systemic responses to hypoxia need to be well understood. Here we first summarize the well-established link between HIFs and mitochondria in orchestrating hypoxia-induced adaptations and then outline major environmental and behavioral modulators of their interaction that remain poorly understood.

Quantum based effects of therapeutic nuclear magnetic resonance persistently reduce glycolysis

Electromagnetic fields are known to induce the clock protein cryptochrome to modulate intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) via the quantum based radical pair mechanism (RPM) in mammalian cells. Recently, therapeutic Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (tNMR) was shown to alter protein levels of the circadian clock associated Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α (HIF-1α) in a nonlinear dose response relationship. Using synchronized NIH3T3 cells, we show that tNMR under normoxia and hypoxia persistently modifies cellular metabolism. After normoxic tNMR treatment, glycolysis is reduced, as are lactate production, extracellular acidification rate, the ratio of ADP/ATP and cytosolic ROS, whereas mitochondrial and extracellular ROS, as well as cellular proliferation are increased. Remarkably, these effects are even more pronounced after hypoxic tNMR treatment, driving cellular metabolism to a reduced glycolysis while mitochondrial respiration is kept constant even during reoxygenation. Hence, we propose tNMR as a potential therapeutic tool in ischemia driven diseases like inflammation, infarct, stroke and cancer.

Radical pairs can explain magnetic field and lithium effects on the circadian clock

Drosophila's circadian clock can be perturbed by magnetic fields, as well as by lithium administration. Cryptochromes are critical for the circadian clock. Further, the radical pairs in cryptochrome also can explain magnetoreception in animals. Based on a simple radical pair mechanism model of the animal magnetic compass, we show that both magnetic fields and lithium can influence the spin dynamics of the naturally occurring radical pairs and hence modulate the circadian clock's rhythms. Using a simple chemical oscillator model for the circadian clock, we show that the spin dynamics influence a rate in the chemical oscillator model, which translates into a change in the circadian period. Our model can reproduce the results of two independent experiments, magnetic field and lithium effects on the circadian clock. Our model predicts that stronger magnetic fields would shorten the clock's period. We also predict that lithium influences the clock in an isotope-dependent manner. Furthermore, our model also predicts that magnetic fields and hyperfine interactions modulate oxidative stress. The findings of this work suggest that the quantum nature of radical pairs might play roles in the brain, as another piece of evidence in addition to recent results on xenon anesthesia and lithium effects on hyperactivity.