Optical absorbance of hemoglobin and red blood cell suspensions under magnetic fields

Real-time optical measurements of a red blood cell (RBC) suspension and a hemoglobin solution were carried out under magnetic fields of Tesla order. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of magnetic fields on intracellular hemoglobin conformation. A clear level-shift in the optical absorbance for the full range of the measured wavelengths was observed for the RBC suspension. The optical absorbance spectrum of oxyhemoglobin had two peaks in the range of 500 nm to 600 nm. The absorbance peak at 575 nm increased by 19% more than the peak at 540 nm under magnetic fields of 8 T. In the case of the hemoglobin solution, however, clear negative results were obtained. The results indicate that strong magnetic fields do not have any effect on the conformation of hemoglobin, but rather, magnetic fields affect the intracellular hemoglobin conformation. It was speculated that hemoglobin that binds to a cell membrane changes its conformation when a RBC orients along a magnetic field