Probing cancer cell metabolism using NMR spectroscopy

Abstract

Altered cellular metabolism is now accepted to be at the core of many diseases including cancer. Over the past 20 years, NMR has become a core technology to study these metabolic perturbations in detail. This chapter reviews current NMR-based methods for steady-state metabolism and, in particular, the use of non-radioactive stable isotope-enriched tracers. Opportunities and challenges for each method, such as 1D (1)H NMR spectroscopy and (13)C carbon-based NMR spectroscopic methods, are discussed. Ultimately, the combination of NMR and mass spectra as orthogonal technologies are required to compensate for the drawbacks of each technique when used singly are discussed.