Valutazione dello stress ossidativo in Phaseolus Lunatus L. sottoposto a campo magnetico ridotto

Among the natural environmental factors of Earth that affect the life of organisms -such as light, gravity, temperature, and water availability- the geomagnetic field (GMF), that existed on the planet 3.5-4.3 billion years ago, is important for different organisms, ranging from bacteria to vertebrate animals. Specific analysis of how the reduction in the GMF affects biological systems has significant practical applications, particularly within the realm of space programs that will expose humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms to environments where the magnetic field strength is at least three orders of magnitude lower than that of the GMF (i.e., ranging from approximately 40 μT to nearly 1 nT). The focus of this master's thesis was to assess the oxidative stress responses of Phaseolus lunatus L. (a crop plant) to Near-Null magnetic field (NNMF) conditions. Specifically, this study aimed to investigate the gene expression of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production/scavenging compounds, the content of hydrogen peroxide, and primary and secondary metabolites of plants grown under NNMF or GMF conditions. The reduction of the GMF to NNMF values was achieved using a triaxial Helmholtz coil system (three computer-controlled orthogonal Helmholtz coils). Our preliminary analyses highlighted changes in hydrogen peroxide production and gene expression due to NNMF exposure for an extended continuous period (4 weeks) in the genes encoding for superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase. Furthermore, the application of a NNMF allowed us to observe a significant impact on the total content of polyphenols, proteins, carbohydrates, chlorophylls, chlorophyll degradation products, and carotenoids. It can be hypothesized that variations in the magnetic field may be considered an abiotic stress factor, that is not incompatible with plant life.