An upward 9.4 T static magnetic field inhibits DNA synthesis and increases ROS-P53 to suppress lung cancer growth

Studies have shown that 9.4 Tesla (9.4 T) high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has obvious advantages in improving image resolution and capacity, but their safety issues need to be further validated before their clinical approval. Meanwhile, emerging experimental evidences show that moderate to high intensity Static Magnetic Fields (SMFs) have some anti-cancer effects. We examined the effects of two opposite SMF directions on lung cancer bearing mice and found when the lung cancer cell-bearing mice were treated with 9.4 T SMFs for 88 h in total, the upward 9.4 T SMF significantly inhibited A549 tumor growth (tumor growth inhibition=41%), but not the downward 9.4 T SMF. In vitro cellular analysis shows that 9.4 T upward SMF treatment for 24 h not only inhibited A549 DNA synthesis, but also significantly increased ROS and P53 levels, and arrested G2 cell cycle. Moreover, the 9.4 T SMF-treatments for 88 h had no severe impairment to the key organs or blood cell count of the mice. Our findings demonstrated the safety of 9.4 T SMF long-term exposure for their future applications in MRI, and revealed the anti-cancer potential of the upward direction 9.4 T SMF.