{"title":"Thermodynamic Considerations on the Biophysical Interaction between Low-Energy Electromagnetic Fields and Biosystems.","authors":"Umberto Lucia, Giulia Grisolia","doi":"10.3390/membranes14080179","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A general theory explaining how electromagnetic waves affect cells and biological systems has not been completely accepted yet; nevertheless, extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) can interfere with and modify several molecular cellular processes. The therapeutic effect of EMFs has been investigated in several clinical conditions with promising results: in this context a better understanding of mechanisms by which ELF-EMF influences cellular events is necessary and it could lead to more extended and specific clinical applications in different pathological conditions. This paper develops a thermodynamic model to explain how ELF-EMF directly interferes with the cellular membrane, inducing a biological response related to a cellular energy conversion and modification of flows across cell membranes. Indeed, energy, irreversibly consumed by cellular metabolism, is converted into entropy variation. The proposed thermodynamic model views living systems as adaptative open systems, analysing the changes in energy and matter moving in and out of the cell.</p>","PeriodicalId":18410,"journal":{"name":"Membranes","volume":"14 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11355948/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Membranes","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes14080179","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
A general theory explaining how electromagnetic waves affect cells and biological systems has not been completely accepted yet; nevertheless, extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) can interfere with and modify several molecular cellular processes. The therapeutic effect of EMFs has been investigated in several clinical conditions with promising results: in this context a better understanding of mechanisms by which ELF-EMF influences cellular events is necessary and it could lead to more extended and specific clinical applications in different pathological conditions. This paper develops a thermodynamic model to explain how ELF-EMF directly interferes with the cellular membrane, inducing a biological response related to a cellular energy conversion and modification of flows across cell membranes. Indeed, energy, irreversibly consumed by cellular metabolism, is converted into entropy variation. The proposed thermodynamic model views living systems as adaptative open systems, analysing the changes in energy and matter moving in and out of the cell.
MembranesChemical Engineering-Filtration and Separation
CiteScore
6.10
自引率
16.70%
发文量
1071
审稿时长
11 weeks
期刊介绍:
Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375) is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal of separation science and technology. It publishes reviews, research articles, communications and technical notes. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. Full experimental and/or methodical details must be provided.