In vitro studies of the influence of ELF electromagnetic fields on the activity of soluble and insoluble peroxidase

The influence of a ELF electromagnetic field (EMF) (50 Hz and 1 mT) on the activity of a soluble and insoluble horseradish peroxidase (E.C. 1.11.17) has been studied as a function of time. Insoluble derivatives were obtained by enzyme entrapment into two different gelatin membranes or by covalent attachement of the enzyme on two nylon membranes, differently preactivated. Results have shown that the EMF presence affects the inactivation rate of the soluble enzyme, while no effects are observed with insoluble derivatives. Since “in vivo” enzymes are immobilized into the biomembrane bilayer or entrapped into the cytoplasmatic mixture, we concluded that our experimental conditions cannot affect the catalytic activity of the enzymes “in vivo”.