Biological Activity of External Electrostatic Field Exceeding the Natural Background: Erythrocyte Plasma Membrane Target

Abstract

It was hypothesized that the biological activity of external electrostatic fields is a result of field-induced physical processes on the cell membrane. Membrane is a dynamic lipoprotein structure and even the marginal changes of its physical parameters will be reflected on the structural and functional state of bilayer. For revealing the possible changes, the lipidprotein interactions in rat erythrocyte membranes after the in vivo chronic influence (6 days, 6 hours per day) of 200 kV/m electrostatic field were investigated. The biophysical parameters of erythrocyte ghosts were investigated by spectrofluorimetric method using the fluorescent probes 1-anilinonaftalene-8-sulfonate and pyrene. Oxidative modifications of membrane components were investigated also. The data obtained established that the field influence leads to the redistribution of membrane surface charge. It increases the immersion degree of the peripheral proteins in lipid bilayer and, in all probability, induces the conformational alterations of membrane integral proteins. These changes can be induced by the direct influence of field on the membranes and/or they can be a result of the field-generated changes in metabolic cascades. Our results emphasize the importance of membrane proteins in realization of the effect of electrostatic field.