Development of solenoidal assembly for probing static magnetic field-induced physiological and behavioral disruptions in zebrafish

Magnetic fields are pervasive in both natural and artificial environments, yet their biological impact across organ systems remains incompletely understood. We designed a custom solenoidal assembly to enable in-situ exposure of zebrafish to static magnetic fields and systematically examined the downstream effects on gene expression and behavior. Short-term exposure led to coordinated changes in the expression of key molecular markers associated with stress response, mitochondrial function, cellular proliferation, and neural activity across the heart, brain, and liver. These molecular alterations were accompanied by pronounced behavioral changes, including increased anxiety-like behavior, disrupted social interactions, altered locomotion, and impaired performance in cognitive assays. Collectively, our findings suggest that magnetic field exposure perturbs systemic physiological homeostasis in zebrafish, reflected through molecular and behavioral dysregulation. Besides this, because of the clinical impact of magnetic fields in medical instrumentation such as MRI, in particular in cancer patients, the understanding of their systemic impact becomes more and more relevant. This study provides a foundational platform for assessing the biological consequences of magnetic fields and raises important questions about their broader impact on organismal health and environmental adaptation.