Enhancement of cytochrome oxidase activity in 60 Hz magnetic fields

60 Hz magnetic fields accelerate the oxidation of cytochrome C, a reaction catalyzed by cytochrome oxidase, an electron transport enzyme of the mitochondrial redox chain. The effects of magnetic fields on this enzyme reaction are similar to effects on the Na,K-ATPase reaction. The acceleration due to the magnetic field, is inversely related to the basal enzyme rate. The greater the normal enzyme activity, the smaller the effect of an applied magnetic field. The acceleration varies with the magnetic field strength. The increase in the oxidation rate constant is 20-30% at field strengths below 3 mu T, and a factor of about 2 between 6-10 mu T. Data at low field strengths suggest that the threshold is below 0.5 mu T, in the same range as thresholds for Na,K-ATPase function (0.3 mu T) and stimulation of transcription (< 0.8 mu T). The mobile charge interaction (MCI) model, which proposes that electric and magnetic fields interact with moving charges as they would in any conductor, was based on studies of the Na,K-ATPase enzyme reaction. Similar results with cytochrome oxidase support the MCI model in the interaction of magnetic fields with electron transfer during this oxidation reaction. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.