Tracking the Effect of Deuterated Water on Glycolysis in Cancer Cells Using 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Deuterated water (D2O) is a form of water composed of the hydrogen isotope deuterium, with a natural abundance of 0.015% in most natural sources. Increasing or depleting the amount of D2O present in water has been found to cause severe cytotoxicity in cultured cells and mice. This work seeks to investigate the effect that D2O has on the metabolic pathways of cultured neuroblastoma and glioblastoma cells, specifically regarding its impact on glucose metabolism and lactate production via glycolysis. Cell culture media with varying amounts of D2O were fabricated and administered to cells, and the resultant impact upon glucose metabolism and the proliferation of the cells were observed. The metabolic pathways were tracked via 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy through the conversion of 1-13C-Glucose to Lactate over 48 hours using a Bruker 600MHz NMR spectrometer. The results of these experiments will be presented along with explanations of the biological pathways explored and microscopic techniques employed.