Our research highlights showcase the groundbreaking work that has been carried out by our researchers, and are grouped into three research domains below - Biophysics, Biotechnology and Environmental Health Control. All these research projects intended or intend to use the results for the development and construction of research equipments. They also try to find new methods for environmental control and dosimetry of nonionizing radiation from the point of public health, physiotherapeutic treatment of various diseases, sperm motility activation, water purification, EMF-antitumor treatment and stimulation of plant seed germination.
Through this research we are addressing some of the most challenging issues facing society today.
Reinforcing research in biophysics serves as an instrument for solving a number of environmental, biotechnological and agro-biotechnological problems as well as for advancement of biomedical engineering and drug discovery. In this respect, LSIPEC researchers are carrying out some strong fundemantal studies in this field.
Our researchers are also creating educational resources to improve understanding of biophysical aspects of different medical disorders. The main studies and discoveries are summarized below.
Fundamental Biophysical Studies
1994 - 1997. The correlation between Na+/Ca2+ exchange and intracellular cAMP/cGMP
Conclusion: The intracellular cGMP plays a key role in activation of Ca2+ efflux through Na+/Ca2+ exchange in forward mode and Ca2+ pump mechanisms, while intracellular cAMP activates Ca2+ influx by Na+/Ca2+ exchange in reverse mode.
1989 – 1990. Metabolic regulation of N-cholinoreceptor affinity.
Conclusion: The Na-pump inactivation has depressing effect on N- receptor affinity through its phosphorylation.
1988 – 1989. Correlation between Na-K pump activity and intracellular concentration of cAMP.
Conclusion: Pump inactivation leads to the elevation of cAMP production and vice versa.
1986 - 1988. Correlation between Na+/K+ pump activity and Na+/Ca2+ exchange.
Conclusion: There is a negative correlation between Na+/K+ pump and Na+/Ca2+ exchange activity that
is realized by intracellular level of cyclic AMP.
1984 - 1992. The study of the role of lipid composition in regulation of membrane protein function. (In collaboration with Prof. Toshifumi Takenaka, Japan)
Conclusion: Short-chain fatty acids can be effective modulators of both ouabain-sensitive and ouabain- insensitive fractions of Na efflux from the cells, membrane excitabilityand chemosensitivity.
1980 – 1988. The role of lipid surrounding of membrane proteins in regulation of their functional activity.
Conclusion: The negative correlation between Na+/K+ and Na+/Ca2+ exchange depends on membrane lipids’ fluidity. The increase of the latter makes the mentioned correlation disappear. Decanoid acid- induced membrane fluidity leads to the activation of the agonist-induced K currents.
1980 - 1988. The effect of water fluxes through the membrane on membrane excitability. (In collaboration with Prof. Kiozo Koketsu, Japan)
Conclusion: Transmembrane water fluxes having activation effect on membrane current have the same direction and inactivation effect on current having opposite direction.
1980 - 1990. The study of functional role of pump-induced cell volume changes in regulation of membrane chemosensitivity and excitability.
Conclusion: Number of functionally active protein molecules having enzymatic chemoreceptive and ion channel forming properties depend on cell surface: surface increasing leads to elevation of the number of functionally active proteins, while shrinkage has opposite effect.
1978 – 1986. Physiological significance of pump-induced cell volume changes.
Conclusion: The pump-induced cell volume is a powerful mechanism through which the metabolic regulation of membrane permeability, excitability, chemosensitivity and pump activity are realized.
1977 - 1984. The study of the functional role of electrogenic Na+/K+ pump in regulation of cell volume.
Conclusion: Na+/K+ pump has a cell volume regulation function: its activation leads to cell shrinkage, while inactivation to cell swelling.
1976 – 1978. Metabolic regulation of cell volume.
Conclusion.The electrogenic Na-K pump is the main mechanism through which metabolism regulates cell volume.
1969 - 1976. Regulation mechanism of pacemaker activity of Helix neurons” (In collaboration with Prof. Howard Wachtel, USA)
Conclusion: The electrogenic sodium pump-dependent cell volume changes are responsible for membrane potential’s oscillation of pacemaker neurons.
1965 - 1969. The study of the role of cell metabolic processes in generation of membrane potential of snail neuron. (postgraduate thesis, advisor- Prof. Platon Kostyuk, Ukraine)
Conclusion: The resting potential of snail neurons consists of two components of different nature: first is purely diffused, and is due to the presence of ionic gradient on the membrane, second is generated by electrogenic sodium pump.
Biophysical Aspects of Pain Signal Generation
2007 - present. The correlation between brain cell hydration and pain sensation in mammals.
Conclusion: Cell over-hydration promotes the nociceptive signals generation, while dehydration relieves pain and has anesthetic effects on mammals.
1996 – present. The cellular mechanisms of nociceptive signal generation.
Conclusion: Abnormal hydration of nerve ending leads to the abnormal excitation of the membrane in the result of the increase of the number of functionally active protein molecules, having receptors, channel forming and enzymatic properties.
Biophysical Aspects of Age-dependent Medical Disorders
2010 - present - “Study of determination mechanism of age-dependent magnetic and microwave sensitivity of rat brain and heart muscles in norm and pathology”.
Conclusion: Age-dependent dysfunction of α3 Na+/K+ pump isoform-dependent signaling system controlling cell hydration for the decrease of magnetic sensitivity of heart muscle and brain tissue hydration.
2007 - present - “The role of the dysfunction of Na+/K+ pump in age-dependent medical disorders”.
Conclusion: Age-dependent dysfunction of α3 isoform-dependent signaling system controlling cell hydration serves as a primary mechanism for generation of age-related medical disorders.
1994 – 1997 - “The metabolic mechanism of the effect of NO on heart muscle contractility” (In collaboration with Prof. Robert Walker, UK).
Conclusion: The NO-induced heart muscle relaxation is due to the activation of cGMP-dependent Ca2+ efflux and Na+/Ca2+ exchange in forward mode from the cells.
Biophysical Aspects of Cancer Generation
2000 - present. The study of Na-K pump and cyclic nucleotide-dependent Na:Ca exchange in carcinogenesis and nervous disorders;
Conclusion: In the process of studying
2001 – present. The cellular mechanism of the therapeutic effect of SMF and low frequency EMF on different cell pathologies.
Conclusion: The Na-K pump-induced cell dehydration is one of the metabolic pathways through which the therapeutic effect of SMF and LF EMF on cancer cells could be realized.
The research in biotechnology and agro-biotechnology is especially outlined in our studies with the aim to improve biosafety for food security and rural development, thus contibuting to sustainable agriculture. More attention is paid to the research directed at increasing the quality, safety (from the perspective of environmental health), effectiveness of agricultural products and processing.
Agrobiotechnology and food safety
♦ Extremely low frequency of electromagnetic field (ELF EMF)-treated water as a tool for the increase of the growth and development of microbes and plants.
♦ ELF EMF treatment as a novel method for the activation of bull sperm motility.
Artificial insemination is a progressive method for organization of cattle reproduction in agricultural animal breeding and the methods for activation of sperm seem extremely important in order to increase the effectiveness of breeding. LSIPEC research team works on enhancing th effectiveness of livestock breeding by activation of sperm motality
♦ Double frequency of impedancemetric characteristics of meat as a novel method for determining its quality.
Nowadays health control and health risk assessment have become one of the essential problems of Public Health. The solution of these problems is extremely important for better health promotion and disease prevention. To solve these problems it is extremely important to estimate the environmental effects on health adequately. Advances in the field of environmental health control are progressively paving the way to develop innovative diagnostics for comprehensive assessment of EHC but much is yet to be achieved. Deeper understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the elaboration of a biomarker can be the key to further unravel advanced diagnostics.
The development of new advanced diagnostics for EHC is in the focus of researchers at LSIPEC.
Biological effect of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation and other extremely weak chemical and physical factors on cells and organisms
2009 - present - “The study of functional role of different Na+/K+ pump isoforms in regulation of cell hydration in norm and pathology”.
Conclusion: α3 isoform-dependent signaling system serves as a universal sensor through which the biological effect of weak environmental signals on cells and organisms are realized.
2008 - present - “Cellular and molecular mechanism of biological effect of background ionizing radiation, electromagnetic fields and infrasound frequency of mechanical vibration on plants, microbes, invertebrate and vertebrate organisms”.
Conclusion: Cell bathing aqua medium serves as one of the essential primary targets for biological effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.
2007 - present - “The study of cell hydration as a marker for biological effect of environmental factors”.
Conclusion: Cell hydration serves as a universal and extra-sensitive sensor for environmental factors in plants, microbes and mammals.
2001 – present. The study of non-thermal effect of Extremely High Frequency (EHF) EMF on different biological objects.
Conclusion: The EHF EMF has non-thermal biological effect, which is realized through the structural changes of cell bathing aqua solution.
2001 - present – “The study of the effect of cell bathing aqua structure on cell metabolic activity”.
Conclusion: The environmental factor-induced changes in both water molecules’ disassociation and peroxide formation in cell bathing medium serve as messengers through which cell bathing medium could modulate its metabolic activity.
2000 - present. The study of the role of cell-bathing solution as a primary target for biological effects of SMF, EMF and mechanical vibration (MV) on cells and organisms.
Conclusion: The intensity and frequency-dependent effects of SMF, EMF and MV on thermodynamic properties (structure) of water leading to the modulation of functional activity of microbes, yeast, plants, sperm, neurons, heart muscle and animals were discovered.
2000 - present. The metabolic pathways of SMF- and LF EMF –induced relaxing effect on heart muscle and its inhibitory effect on single neuronal activity.
Conclusion: SMF- and LF EMF –induced heart muscle relaxation and inhibition of neuronal activity are the result of structural changes of cell bathing medium which activates the cGMP-dependent Na:Ca exchange bringing to the decrease of intracellular level of Ca-ions and reactivation of Na-K pump activity.
1997 - 2005 – The nature of metabolic mechanism through which extremely weak chemical and physical factors could modulate the membrane conductive function (excitability and chemo sensitivity).
Conclusion: cGMP/cAMP-dependent Na+/Ca2+ exchanger serve as a universal and extra-sensitive membrane sensor for extremely low concentrations of biologically active substances and weak physical factors.
1994 - 2009.The role of the structural changes of cell bathing aqua medium in realization of biological effects of non-ionizing radiation (Electromagnetic fields and infrasound) on cells and organisms.
Conclusion: EMF-induced changes of physicochemical properties and formation of ROS serve as main mechanisms through which non-thermal biological effects of magnetic and electrical fields on cells and organisms are realized.
1994 – 1997. The study of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the biological effect of extremely low concentrations(>10-10M) of biologically active substances.
Conclusion: The cGMP dependent-Na:Ca exchanger serves as a universal and extremely sensitive sensor in the membrane for extremely low concentrations of biologically active substances, and it is specific for excitable cells.
1990 – 1999. The effect of extra-low concentration of transmitters on functional activity of membrane.
Conclusion: Extremely low concentration of transmitters (ELCT) and other biological substances (BAS), which are unable to change the membrane permeability have modulatory effect on membrane chemosensitivity and excitability. The cyclic nucleotides-dependent Na:Ca exchange is the main mechanism through which the metabotropic effect of ELCT and other BAS on the membrane is realized.
1990 - 1998. Biological effect of extremely low concentration of transmitters on membrane functional activity (In collaboration with David Carpenter, USA, Robert Walker, UK, Peter Usherwood, UK, Yanosh Salanki, Hungary).
Conclusion: Low concentrations, having no effect on membrane conductive properties, regulate the conductive function of membrane through the modulation of intracellular signaling system.
1987 – 1991 - “The study of the functional role of Na+/K+ pump in regulation of cell sensitivity to ionizing radiation” (in collaboration with Dvoretsky A.I., Shainskaya A.M., Ukraine).
Conclusion: Ionic radiation-induced Na+/K+ pump inhibition leads to the increase of the number of pump units in the membrane. High affinity ouabain receptors are more sensitivity to ionizing radiation than low affinity receptors.
1984 - 1991 - “The ionic membrane mechanism of ionizing radiation on neuromembrane function”
Conclusion: Ca -dependent activation of Lipase A2 activity is the gate for ionizing radiation-induced membrane damage (In collaboration with Prof. Konstantin Karageuzyan, Armenia).
1984 – 1991. The effect of ionizing radiation on neuromembrane function.
Conclusion: The Ca-dependent activation of Lipase A2 activity is the gate of ionizing radiation-induced membrane damage.
Water studies
2013 - present - “Bioremediation as a modern and efficient method for water pollution management”.
Conclusion: H2O2-induced bactericide properties elevated by non-critical concentration of CO2.
1998 - 2009 – “The study of low frequency of EMF and infrasound on physicochemical properties of water and peroxide formation”.
Conclusion: EMF and infrasound have 4 and 8Hz frequency “windows” at which they have more pronounced effects on water molecules dissociation, heat fusion, electrical conductivity, gas solubility and hydrogen peroxide formation in water.