Do static or time-varying magnetic fields in magnetic resonance imaging (3.0 T) alter ProteinGene expression?- A study on human embryonic lung fibroblasts

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on gene expression in embryonic human lung fibroblasts (Hel 299). Materials and Methods: The cells were exposed to the static magnetic field and to a turbo spin-echo sequence of an MR scanner at 3.0 Tesla. An MR group (exposed) and a control group (sham-exposed) were set up using a special MR-compatible incubation system. The exposure time was two hours. Gene expression profiles were studied using a complementary deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA) microarray containing 498 known genes involved in transcription, intracellular transport, structure/junction/adhesion or extracellular matrix, signaling, host defense, energetics, metabolism, cell shape, and death. Results: No changes in gene expression were found in either group (exposed or sham-exposed cells) at the end of a two-hour exposure for any of the 498 tested protein genes. Conclusion: The results suggest that MRI has no influence on protein-gene expression in eugenic human lung cells.