Effects of moderate static magnetic fields on the lipogenesis and lipolysis in different genders of Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

With the rapid development of magnetic technology, the biological effects of moderate static magnetic fields (SMFs) have attracted increasing research interest due to their potential medical diagnosis and treatment application. The present study explored the effects of moderate SMFs on the lipid metabolism of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) in different genders including male, female, and hermaphrodite. We found that the fat content was significantly decreased by moderate SMFs in wild-type N2 worms, which was associated with their development stages. The diameters of lipid droplets in N2 worms, him-5 worms, and fog-2 worms were greatly decreased by 19.23%, 15.38%, and 23.07% at young adult stage under 0.5 T SMF, respectively. The mRNA levels of lipolysis related genes atgl-1 and nhr-76 were significantly up-regulated by SMF exposure, while the mRNA levels of the lipogenesis related genes fat-6, fat-7, and sbp-1 were down-regulated by SMF, whereas the concentration of β-oxidase was increased. There was a slight effect of SMF on the mRNA levels of β-oxidation related genes. Moreover, the insulin and serotonin pathway were regulated by SMF, instead of the TOR pathway. In wild-type worms, we found that their lifespan was prolonged by exposure to 0.5 T SMF. Our data suggested that moderate SMFs could significantly modify the lipogenesis and lipolysis process in C. elegans in a gender and development stage-dependent manner, which could provide a novel insight into understanding the function of moderate SMFs in living organisms.

Keywords

• Moderate static magnetic fields
• C. elegans
• Lipogenesis and lipolysis
• Gender
• Signaling pathway