title: [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].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Radiologia P. Cignolini, Palermo.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salerno
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciaccio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lo Casto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Maria
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lagalla
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bono
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Cardinale
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D002374:Catalase; D003402:Creatine Kinase
vernacular_title: Effetti biologici del campo magnetico statico di un tomografo a Risonanza Magnetica da 0,5 T sull'attività enzimatica della catalasi e della creatinchinasi nel ratto.