The effect of D2O on the glycolytic pathway of cultured cancer cells using nuclear magnetic resonance

Heavy water, commonly referred to as D2O, is a form of water composed of the hydrogen isotope deuterium, with most natural sources of water having an abundance of one deuterium atom per 6,700 ordinary hydrogen atoms. This work seeks to investigate the effects 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. To achieve this, various concentrations of D2O were administered to cell culture media and the resultant impact on the cellular metabolism of glucose and the morphology and proliferation of cells were observed. The metabolic pathways were studied via 13C NMR spectroscopy through the conversion of 13C glucose to lactate over 48 hours using a Bruker 600 Hz NMR spectrometer. The results of these experiments will be presented along with the biological explanations on the effects in the glycolytic pathways of these cultured cells along with physical explanations of C13 NMR. This study is supported by the Welch Foundation grant AT‐2111‐20220331, US Department of Defense CDMRP grants W81XWH-21-1-0176, W81XWH-22-1-0105, W81XWH-19-1-0741, and W81XWH-22-1-0003.