LIFE IN ZERO MAGNETIC FIELD. III. ACTIVITY OF ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE AND ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE DURING IN VITRO AGING OF HUMAN BLOOD

We investigated the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in the serum of human blood during in vitro aging in normal and zero magnetic field (ZMF) for up to 72 hr at room temperature. We found a 24–31% apparent decrease of the enzymes' activities in ZMF conditions compared to controls aging in the normal geomagnetic field. The presence of these enzymes in the serum is mainly due to hemolysis. However, hemolysis is stronger in ZMF conditions. Therefore, the amount of enzymes released into the serum is correspondingly higher in these conditions. This leads to the conclusion that AST and ALT activities diminished by ZMF to a much greater extent than the apparent effect. For example, a 72-hr aging leads to a minimum five times reduction in the enzymatic activity in the blood serum. The loss of activity could be explained by denaturation and degradation processes, which proceeded more rapidly in ZMF conditions.     

LIFE IN ZERO MAGNETIC FIELD. IV. INVESTIGATION OF DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS ON FRUITFLY VISION

The fruitfly (Drosophila melanogaster) visual system was investigated electrophysiologically in vivo after exposure to a zero magnetic field (ZMF). Electroretinographic (ERG) recording of fly eye electrical activity was performed on adult insects raised from pupae maintained for 20 hr in zero magnetic field. A flickering excitation regime was applied to excite the visual system, since in this way, a quasistable hyperpolarization component of the electroretinogram can be obtained, containing information from the neural cells, which are the most sensitive to the action of external factors during early ontogenetic stages. Results of the investigation of two D. melanogaster populations, sample and control, were statistically compared.

We found a significant statistical increase of sensitivity in neural cells from the first optic ganglion in the fly population developed from pupae exposed to ZMF.