Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been introduced to many hospitals and MRI systems with a much higher magnetic flux density have been under development. A main application of MRI systems with a much higher magnetic flux density is to analyze brain function. Therefore, it is becoming important to evaluate the biological effects of exposure to a strong SMF on the central nervous system. In this study, we evaluated the effects of exposure to strong SMFs on astrocyte differentiation in astrocyte progenitor cells.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Astrocyte progenitor cells were were seeded on poly-L-lysin, fibronectin, laminin coated-well-plates, and exposed to SMF at a magnetic flux density of 6 T (41.7 T/m of magnetic field gradient) or 10 T (0 T/m), or sham-exposure for 30 minutes. Immediately after exposure, the culture medium was changed to transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) containing medium, and cultured for 2 days. The effects of exposure to SMFs were quantified by the expression of mRNA encoding cystatin C using a real-time PCR system with SYBR Green I as an intercalating dye.
RESULTS
Treatment with TGF-β1 markedly increased cystatin C mRNA expression. The exposure to SMFs did not affect cystatin C mRNA expression.
