Study of the Effects of Magnetic Field Inhomogeneities in an Incubator on the Growth Rate of Human Cells in the Context of Modeling Astrogeophysical Conditions

The magnetic field, including hypomagnetic conditions, is a key astrogeophysical factor that requires comprehensive study of its effects on living systems. Planned interplanetary missions will, on the one hand, encounter the absence of Earth’s geomagnetic field and, on the other, face strong inhomogeneity in the spacecraft’s own magnetic field. Of particular interest is how both the amplitude and the spatial characteristics of magnetic-field inhomogeneity affect human cells under laboratory conditions simulating orbital environments. In vitro cell culture under strictly controlled incubator conditions is a common experimental approach in biological research. CO2-incubators provide control over temperature, gas composition, and humidity. Recent studies report that incubators can significantly alter the ambient magnetic field. Here, we show that two types of CO2-incubators substantially modify magnetic-field parameters, and that the nature of these modifications depends on the incubator model. One incubator exhibited pronounced spatial inhomogeneity of the magnetic field, with regions of both low and high field strength. The other incubator, during operation, generated magnetic-field oscillations with period of oscillations about several seconds and peak-to-peak amplitude exceeding the mean value. We found that the magnetic background markedly affects the growth of human embryonic kidney cells. The effect of an ultra-low-frequency (ULF) magnetic field with a period of several seconds was especially pronounced and is relevant to space applications. Nutrient-deficiency-induced stress increased cellular sensitivity to this factor. These results emphasize the importance of weak static and time-varying magnetic fields for cell-growth processes, particularly in combination with other adverse conditions.