Quantitative analysis of adherent cell orientation influenced by strong magnetic fields

Examines the effect of strong magnetic fields on adherent cells. Smooth muscle cells, cultured in 8 Tesla (T) or 14 T superconducting magnets for 3 days, exhibited orientational order parallel to the magnetic field direction. In order to discuss the process and the mechanism of the orientation, the orientational characteristic of the cell culture was investigated with quantitative measurements: an orientational order parameter and the Fourier Transform analysis. The orientational order parameter indicates the degree of orientation. The value of the parameter was estimated with the Fourier Transform of microscopic images. The cells cultured under stronger static magnetic fields exhibited stronger ordering, while they showed weaker ordering in the control when they were cultured under a strong magnetic gradient force of 400 T²/m. The ordering was enhanced under uniform strong magnetic fields, while it was not affected or was suppressed by the strong gradient force. The author suggests that the cells organize themselves to minimize their diamagnetic torsion stresses, which can be induced in the uniform magnetic fields by the membrane´s diamagnetic anisotropy.