Effects of ultra‐strong static magnetic field on the gut microbiota of humans and mice

Abstract

To explore the effect of ultra‐strong static magnetic field on gut microbiota, 16 T static magnetic field was used to study the changes in the structure and composition of human and mouse gut microbiota in this environment. In the mouse gut microbiota, at the genus level, the magnetic field significantly decreased the relative abundances of Escherichia‐Shigella, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Burkholderia‐Caballeronia‐Paraburkholderia, Parasutterella, and Ralstonia and significantly increased those of Parabacteroides, Alloprevotella, Alistipes, Odoribacter, Bacteroides, Mucispirillum, Sutterella, and Prevotellaceae_UCG‐001. Similarly, at the genus level, the relative abundances of Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Romboutsia, and Streptococcus significantly decreased in the human gut microbiota. Contrary to the changing trend of the abundance in the mouse gut, the abundances of Bacteroides and Parabacteroides in the human gut were significantly reduced under magnetic field. The BugBase phenotypic prediction analysis showed that the relative abundances of five phenotypes, including anaerobism, mobile elements, potential pathogenicity, stress‐tolerant, and biofilm formation, changed significantly in the mouse gut microbiota, while the relative abundances of two phenotypes, including Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative phenotypes, changed significantly in the human gut microbiota. The 16 T magnetic field could differently affect the composition, structure, and phenotypes of gut microbiota in human and mice, suggesting the importance of model selection in studying the biological effects of magnetic field.

Microbes and Sustainable Living: Focus on Electric and Magnetic Fields

“…Rather than being a comprehensive survey, these examples are presented to illustrate 1) unanticipated effects of magnetic fields on microbial populations producing potential hazards, 2) designed magnetic field alterations to enhance microbial functions, and 3) the potential origins and significance of magnetoreceptive microbes. Examples of the effects of magnetic fields on microbial populations via review articles and research studies are provided in Table 3 [105,[110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117][118][119].…”

“…Research article on the effects of ultra strong static magnetic fields on human and mouse gut microbiota [113] A 16 T static magnetic field was used to examine the changes in the structure and composition of human and mouse gut microbiota.…”