Magnetophoresis of diamagnetic cells and microorganisms in a culture medium

In the present study, the magnetophoresis of three types of diamagnetic cells was observed under gradient magnetic fields. The predicted mechanism of the cell's magnetophoresis, the drifting of cells in gradient magnetic fields, was attributable to the difference in the diamagnetic forces on water and the cell. The spatial density gradient of the cells, which resulted from the magnetophoresis, was measured by an optical transmission measurement after exposure to magnetic fields of 9-14 T with a maximum gradient of 94 T/m. In the case of smooth muscle cells, adherent cells, the long-term and short-term digestion of cells by the enzyme trypsin resulted in an increased cell density distribution under high magnetic fields and an increase under low magnetic fields, respectively. In the experiments with yeast and blood platelets, the cells moved downward to the lower magnetic fields in the chamber, and a visible density distribution change was observed.