Anatoly L. Buchachenko

Magnetic Field Affects Enzymatic ATP Synthesis

The rate of ATP synthesis by creatine kinase extracted from V. xanthia venom was shown to depend on the magnetic field. The yield of ATP produced by enzymes with 24Mg2+ and 26Mg2+ ions in catalytic sites increases by 7-8% at 55 mT and then decreases at 80 mT. For enzyme with 25Mg2+ ion in a catalytic site, the ATP yield increases by 50% and 70% in the fields 55 and 80 mT, respectively. In the Earth field the rate of ATP synthesis by enzyme, in which Mg2+ ion has magnetic nucleus 25Mg, is 2.5 times higher than that by enzymes, in which Mg2+ ion has nonmagnetic, spinless nuclei 24Mg or 26Mg. Both magnetic field effect and magnetic isotope effect demonstrate that the ATP synthesis is an ion-radical process, affected by Zeeman interaction and hyperfine coupling in the intermediate ion-radical pair.

Mass-independent isotope effects.

Three fundamental properties of atomic nuclei-mass, spin (and related magnetic moment), and volume-are the source of isotope effects. The mostly deserved and popular, with almost hundred-year history, is the mass-dependent isotope effect. The first mass-independent isotope effect which chemically discriminates isotopes by their nuclear spins and nuclear magnetic moments rather than by their masses was detected in 1976. It was named as the magnetic isotope effect because it is controlled by magnetic interaction, i.e., electron-nuclear hyperfine coupling in the paramagnetic species, the reaction intermediates. The effect follows from the universal physical property of chemical reactions to conserve angular momentum (spin) of electrons and nuclei. It is now detected for oxygen, silicon, sulfur, germanium, tin, mercury, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and uranium in a great variety of chemical and biochemical reactions including those of medical and ecological importance. Another mass-independent isotope effect was detected in 1983 as a deviation of isotopic distribution in reaction products from that which would be expected from the mass-dependent isotope effect. On the physical basis, it is in fact a mass-dependent effect, but it surprisingly results in isotope fractionation which is incompatible with that predicted by traditional mass-dependent effects. It is supposed to be a function of dynamic parameters of reaction and energy relaxation in excited states of products. The third, nuclear volume mass-independent isotope effect is detected in the high-resolution atomic and molecular spectra and in the extraction processes, but there are no unambiguous indications of its importance as an isotope fractionation factor in chemical reactions.

Magnesium isotope effects in enzymatic phosphorylation.

Recent discovery of magnesium isotope effect in the rate of enzymatic synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) offers a new insight into the mechanochemistry of enzymes as the molecular machines. The activity of phosphorylating enzymes (ATP-synthase, phosphocreatine, and phosphoglycerate kinases) in which Mg(2+) ion has a magnetic isotopic nucleus 25Mg was found to be 2-3 times higher than that of enzymes in which Mg(2+) ion has spinless, nonmagnetic isotopic nuclei 24Mg or 26Mg. This isotope effect demonstrates unambiguously that the ATP synthesis is a spin-dependent ion-radical process. The reaction schemes, suggested to explain the effect, imply a reversible electron transfer from the terminal phosphate anion of ADP to Mg(2+) ion as a first step, generating ion-radical pair with singlet and triplet spin states. The yields of ATP along the singlet and triplet channels are controlled by hyperfine coupling of unpaired electron in 25Mg+ ion with magnetic nucleus 25Mg. There is no difference in the ATP yield for enzymes with 24Mg and 26Mg; it gives evidence that in this reaction magnetic isotope effect (MIE) operates rather than classical, mass-dependent one. Similar effects have been also found for the pyruvate kinase. Magnetic field dependence of enzymatic phosphorylation is in agreement with suggested ion-radical mechanism.

Spin biochemistry: magnetic 24Mg-25Mg-26Mg isotope effect in mitochondrial ADP phosphorylation.

The rates of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by isolated mitochondria and mitochondrial creatime kinase incubated in isotopically pure media containing, separately, 24Mg2+, 25Mg2+, and 26Mg2+ ions were shown to be strongly dependent on the magnesium nuclear spin and magnetic moment. The rate of adenosine 5′-diphosphate phosphorylation in mitochondria with magnetic nuclei25Mg is about twice higher than that with the spinless, nonmagnetic nuclei24.26Mg. When mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation was selectively blocked by treatment with 1-methylnicotine amide, 25Mg2+ ions were shown to be nearly four times more active in mitochondrial ATP synthesis than 24,26Mg2+ ions. The rate of ATP production associated with creatine kinase is twice higher for 25Mg2+ than for 24.26Mg and does not depend on the blockade of oxidative phosphorylation. There is no difference between 24Mg2+ and 26Mg2+ effects in both oxidative and substrate phophorylation. These observations demonstrate that the enzymatic phosphorylation is a nuclear spin selective process controlled by magnetic isotope effect. The reaction mechanism proposed includes a participation of intermediate ion-radical pairs with Mg+ cation as a radical partner. Therefore, the key mitochondrial phosphotransferases work as a magnesium nuclear spin mediated molecular machines.

Chemistry of Enzymatic ATP Synthesis: An Insight through the Isotope Window

Chemistry of Enzymatic ATP Synthesis: An Insight through the Isotope Window Anatoly L. Buchachenko,* Dmitry A. Kuznetsov, and Natalia N. Breslavskaya N. N. Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Kosygin Street, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation and Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142432 Chernogolovka, Russian Federation Department of Medicinal Nanobiotechnologies, N. I. Pirogov Russian State Medical University, 1 Ostrovityanov Street, 117997 Moscow, Russian Federation N. S. Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation

Magnetic isotope and magnetic field effects on the DNA synthesis

Magnetic isotope and magnetic field effects on the rate of DNA synthesis catalysed by polymerases β with isotopic ions 24Mg2+, 25Mg2+ and 26Mg2+ in the catalytic sites were detected. No difference in enzymatic activity was found between polymerases β carrying 24Mg2+ and 26Mg2+ ions with spinless, non-magnetic nuclei 24Mg and 26Mg. However, 25Mg2+ ions with magnetic nucleus 25Mg were shown to suppress enzymatic activity by two to three times with respect to the enzymatic activity of polymerases β with 24Mg2+ and 26Mg2+ ions. Such an isotopic dependence directly indicates that in the DNA synthesis magnetic mass-independent isotope effect functions. Similar effect is exhibited by polymerases β with Zn2+ ions carrying magnetic 67Zn and non-magnetic 64Zn nuclei, respectively. A new, ion–radical mechanism of the DNA synthesis is suggested to explain these effects. Magnetic field dependence of the magnesium-catalysed DNA synthesis is in a perfect agreement with the proposed ion–radical mechanism. It is pointed out that the magnetic isotope and magnetic field effects may be used for medicinal purposes (trans-cranial magnetic treatment of cognitive deceases, cell proliferation, control of the cancer cells, etc).

Paramagnet enhanced nuclear relaxation of H2 in organic solvents and in H2@C60.

We have measured the bimolecular contribution (relaxivity) R1 (M(-1) s(-1)) to the spin-lattice relaxation rate for the protons of H2 and H2@C60 dissolved in organic solvents in the presence of paramagnet nitroxide radicals. It is found that the relaxation effect of the paramagnets is enhanced 5-fold in H2@C60 compared to H2 under the same conditions. 13C relaxivity in C60 induced by nitroxide has also been measured. The resulting value of R1 for 13C is substantially smaller relative to the 1H relaxation in H2@C60 than expected solely on the basis of the smaller magnetic moment of 13C. The observed values of R1 have been analyzed quantitatively using an outer-sphere model for bimolecular spin relaxation to extract an encounter distance, d, as the dependent variable. The resulting values of d for H2 and (13)C60 are similar to the sum of the van der Waals radii for the radical and the corresponding molecule. The value of d for (1)H2@C60 is substantially smaller than the corresponding van der Waals estimates, corresponding to larger than expected values of R1. A possible explanation for the enhanced relaxivity is a contribution from hyperfine coupling. Based on the results reported here, it seems that not only is the hydrogen molecule in H2@C60 not insulated from magnetic contact with the outside world but also the interaction with paramagnets is even stronger than expected based on distance alone.

New Mechanisms of Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields

ATP production in mitochondria depends on the nuclear spin and magnetic moment of Mg2+ ion in creatine kinase and ATPase. Consequently, the enzymatic synthesis of ATP is an ion-radical process and depends on the external magnetic field and microwave fields that control the spin states of ion-radical pairs and influence the ATP synthesis. The chemical mechanism of ATP synthesis and the origin of biological effects of electromagnetic (microwave) fields are discussed.

Why magnetic and electromagnetic effects in biology are irreproducible and contradictory

The main source of magnetic and electromagnetic effects in biological systems is now generally accepted and demonstrated in this paper to be radical pair mechanism which implies pairwise generation of radicals in biochemical reactions. This mechanism was convincingly established for enzymatic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and desoxynucleic acid (DNA) synthesis by using catalyzing metal ions with magnetic nuclei ((25)Mg, (43)Ca, (67)Zn) and supported by magnetic field effects on these reactions. The mechanism, is shown to function in medicine as a medical remedy or technology (trans-cranial magnetic stimulation, nuclear magnetic control of the ATP synthesis in heart muscle, the killing of cancer cells by suppression of DNA synthesis). However, the majority of magnetic effects in biology remain to be irreproducible, contradictory, and enigmatic. Three sources of such a state are shown in this paper to be: the presence of paramagnetic metal ions as a component of enzymatic site or as an impurity in an uncontrollable amount; the property of the radical pair mechanism to function at a rather high concentration of catalyzing metal ions, when at least two ions enter into the catalytic site; and the kinetic restrictions, which imply compatibility of chemical and spin dynamics in radical pair. It is important to keep in mind these factors to properly understand and predict magnetic effects in magneto-biology and biology itself and deliberately use them in medicine.

Fullerene-based Low Toxic Nanocationite Particles (Porphyrin Adducts of Cyclohexyl Fullerene-C60) to Treat Hypoxia-induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Mammalian Heart Muscle

BACKGROUND This is the first report on the targeted delivery of fullerene-based low toxic nanocationite particles (porphyrin adducts of cyclohexyl fullerene-C(60)) to treat hypoxia-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in mammalian heart muscle. METHODS The magnetic isotope effect generated by the release of paramagnetic (25)Mg(2+) from these nanoparticles selectively stimulates the ATP overproduction in the oxygen-depleted cell. RESULTS Because nanoparticles are membranotropic cationites, they will only release the overactivating paramagnetic cations in response to hypoxia-induced acidic shift. The resulting changes in the heart cell energy metabolism result in approximately 80% recovery of the affected myocardium in <24 h after a single injection (0.03-0.1 LD(50)). CONCLUSIONS Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the nanoparticles suggest their suitability for safe and efficient administration in either single or multi-injection (acute or chronic) therapeutic schemes for the prevention and treatment of clinical conditions involving myocardial hypoxia.