Effects of sub-acute exposure to static magnetic field on iron status and hematopoiesis in rats.

The present work was undertaken in order to investigate the effects of static magnetic field (SMF) on hematopoiesis and iron metabolism in male rats. At thermoneutrality (25°C), the exposition of rats to SMF (128 mT, 1h/day for 5 consecutive days) induced an increase of hematocrit (+12%, p<0.05), hemoglobin (+6%, p<0.05) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (+9%, p<0.05). SMF exposure increased the plasma transferrin concentration (+25%, p<0.05) and the capacity of iron saturation in transferrin (+24%, p<0.05). However, the plasma iron level and the coefficient of transferrin saturation decreased (respectively 17% and 33%; p<0.05) in exposed rats. Our investigations suggested that SMF induced modifications in hematological and mineral parameters, indicating the development of hypoxia-like status associated with iron deficit in rats.