|
Biological sensor system
Description
Experiments
Basic research
Applicative research
References
Culture Parameters
The sensor system consists of four glass Petri dishes (9 cm
diameter) lined with filter paper. Each Petri dish contains
50 cress seeds (Lepidium sativum L.), washes with 3
ml of double-distilled water. The same composition is maintained
with the control groups. Two Petri dishes together are wrapped
up with one layer of aluminium foil. Cress seeds is used because
of its uniformity and fast growth. Just before the begining
of the experiment water is poured in Petri dishes in defined
amounts, then dry seeds (warmed to room temperature for 10
minutes) are sown onto the dishes on time zero. Prior
to the experiments the seeds are stored at 5°C. The experimental
and control dishes are selected at random from pre-prepared
stacks of dishes.
Heat Stress
To obtain positive results stress conditions
are usually needed. With our sensor system we use heat stress
conditions. (see fig. below). Stress exposure is always performed
24 hours after the begining of the experiment. The Petri dishes
with the cress seedlings are heated in an incubator at 42ºC
(i.e. incubator temperatures that is set up 30 min before the
Petri dishes are put inside) for 40 min. Since due to the aluminium
foil the temperature inside the Petri dishes increases slowly.
Outside the incubator, the Petri dishes reaches room temperature
again after two and a half hours. The Petri dishes are placed
into the incubator in the positions at which the measured magnetic
field produced by electricity for heating the incubator (50
Hz) is homogeneous and at the lowest level (around 2 µT).
The incubator maintaines the temperature with a 1°C accuracy.
We also performed control experiments for testing the growth
effects of the heat stress without the MF as well as the growth
effects without both the stress and the MF. The aluminium foil
is used as a protection from the incubator's electric field
and from illumination during the exposure in the coil and during
the transport from the coil to the incubator. The tested product,
magnetic or electric field should be applied to the cress sensor
system for 24 hours immediately before the heat stress. Each
experiment lasts 48 hours.
Top
SINUSOIDAL MAGNETIC FIELD
Our main interest is oriented towards studying non-thermal
effects of weak, extremely low frequency magnetic fields
on plants. We are attempting to determine the main principles
of magnetic field bioeffects that are also useful in animal
and human research. After many experiences that we gained
through the research of sinusoidal magnetic fields effects
on spruce seedlings (Ruzic et al. 1998a,b,c, 2000,
Jerman et al. 1998),
fungi (Ruzic et al. 1997)
and chestnut buds grown in tissue culture (Ruzic et al. 1992, 1993)
(see below)
we turned our interest to uniform and fast growing cress
seedlings (Lepidium sativum). Conscious of the capability
of stress factors to elicit or enhance the effects of magnetic
fields (Ruzic et al. 1998a,b,c, 2000,
Bolognani et al. 1992, Juraškova et al. 1996, Blank et al.
1994, 1996, Goodman, Blank 1998, Michel, Gutzeit 1999, Mittenzwey
et al. 1996, Gutzeit 2001) even when the magnetic fields
alone had no influence, we began to examine the influence
of the magnetic field stimulation on cress seedlings under
a controlled heat stress. We obtained more consistent and
reproducible growth effects than we ever expected. Measuring
the length of 350-400 seedlings (control and exposed) after
two days of germination, we detected 5-14% (statistically
highly significant) stimulative growth effect only when the
seedlings were exposed to sinusoidal magnetic field 50 Hz
100 µT before heat stress (at different temperatures).
Magnetic field applied after heat stress produced no effects.
While the heat stress alone inhibits the growth of seedlings,
it seems that the MF acts as a moderate stress agent that
induces protective factors against stronger stress. Such
behavior is also known from the studies on multiple environmental
stress factors in plants; i.e. the exposure of tissue to
moderate stress induces resistance to other stresses (Sabehat
et al.1998).
The results are published in Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine (Abstract).
Experiments with endive and turnip seeds were similar but
more inconsistent. Some results are here.
INFORMATION BIOELECTROMAGNETICS (go
to the Information Bioelectromagnetics
page)
We tested a hypothesis that biologically relevant information
from various substances can be nonchemicaly translated to
the organisms by high voltage electric and/or magnetic fields
that imprint the information into water or some solution.
The stored information under suitable conditions triggers
a specific biological response without any chemical contact
with the original substance. We constructed a special device
whereby various experiments - using our well explored biological
sensor system - were performed. The biological effectiveness
of the information transfer of various configurations and
types of electric and magnetic fields as well as three different
biologically active substances were tested. The results showed
that even by the electric field informed alcohol solution
has statistically significant biological effects, as well
as the information from some of a chosen chemical substance,
especially herbicide (see whole
article).
Top
Applicative
research
The biological sensor system was succesfuly used in
testing the effectiveness of the new biomagnetic products.
They are commercialy sold by companies Meblo Jogi d.d., Nova
Gorica and Kolpa d.d., Metlika.
For our past
research see here
Our published articles
- Ružič
R., Jerman I., Jeglič A., Fefer D. (1992): Electromagnetic
stimulation of buds of Castanea sativa Mill. intissue
culture. Electro Magnetobiol. 11(2): 145-153. Abstract
- Ružič
R., Jerman I., Jeglič A., Fefer D. (1993):Various effects
of pulsed and static magnetic fields on the developmentof
Castanea sativa Mill. in tissue culture. Electro Magnetobiol.
12(2):165-177. Abstract
- Ružič
R., Jerman I. (1996): 50 Hz sinusoidal magnetic field
shows inhibitory effects under stress conditions. Internationalsymposium
on human health and non-ionizing radiation, Ljubljana,
Slovenia, February 6-7, 1996. Published in: Abstract
book pp. 2-B. Abstract
- Ruzic R., Jerman I., Gogala N. (1998a):
Water stress reveals effects of ELF magnetic fields on
the growth of seedlings. Electro. Magnetobiol. 17(1): 17-30. Abstract
- Ruzic R., Jerman I., Gogala N. (1998b):
Effects of weak low-frequency magnetic fields on spruce
seed germination under acid conditions. Can. J. For. Res.
28: 609-616. Abstract
- Ruzic R., Jerman I. (1998c): Influence
of Ca2+ in biological effects of direct and indirect ELF
magnetic field stimulation. Electro Magnetobiol. 17(2):
203-214. Abstract
- Jerman I., Berden
M., Ruzic R., Skarja M. (1998): Biological effects of
TV SET EMFs on the growth of spruce seedlings. Electro.
Magnetobiol. 17(1): 31-42. Abstract
- Ruzic R., Vodnik D., Jerman I. (2000):
Influence of aluminium in biologic effects of ELF magnetic
field stimulation. Electro Magnetobiol. 19(1): 57-68. Abstract
- Ruzic R, Jerman I (2002): Weak magnetic field decreases
heat stress in cress seedlings. Electromagnetic Biology
and Medicine 21(1): 43-53. Abstract.
Other references
- Blank M., Khorkova O., Goodman R. (1994): Changes in
polypeptide distribution stimulated by different levels
of electromagnetic and thermal stress. Bioelectroch. Bioener.
33: 109-114.
- Blank, M., Goodman R. (1999): Electromagnetic fields
may act directly on DNA. J. Cell Biochem. 75: 369-374.
- Bolognani L., Francia F., Venturelli T., Volpi N. (1992):
Fermentative activity of cold-stressed yeast and effect
of electromagnetic pulsed field. Electro. Magnetobiol.
11(1): 11-17.
- Goodman R., Blank M. (1998): Magnetic field stress induces
expression of hsp70. Cell Stress Chaperon. 3(2): 79-88.
- Gutzeit H.O. (2001): Biological effects of ELF-EMF enhanced
stress response: new insights and new questions. Electro.
Magnetobiol. 20(1): 15-26.
- Juraskova V., Vetterl V., Chramosta O. (1996): Effect
of cadmium and 50 Hz electric and magnetic fields on bone
marrow and tumor cells. Bielectroch. Bioener. 39: 119-123.
- Michel A., Gutzeit H.O. (1999): Electromagnetic fields
in combination with elevated temperatures affect embriogenesis
of Drosophila. Biochem. Bioph. Res. Co. 265: 73-78.
- Mittenzwey R., Süssmuth R.,
Mei W. (1996): Effects of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic
fields on bacteria - the question of co-stressing factor.
Bioelectroch. Bioener. 40: 21-27
- Sabehat A., Weiss D., Lurie S. (1998): Heat-shock proteins
and cross-tolerance in plants. Physiol. Plant. 103: 437-441
Top
Back
|
