Rationale and objectives: We evaluated the 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of malignant cells after the administration of drugs that cause morphologic changes.
Methods: 1H spectra of a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line cultured with interferon gamma, dexamethasone, or sodium butyrate were obtained. The peaks were assigned by two-dimensional homonuclear Hartmann-Hahn spectroscopy spectra of the cells and their perchloric acid extracts. Differential spectra were used to evaluate relative changes in the peaks.
Results: In the control culture, choline/phosphocholine peaks were increased in the cell-growth phase, and the 1.26-ppm peak was increased in the confluent state. Treatment by interferon gamma and dexamethasone induced reproducible changes in the peaks of differential spectra corresponding to 1.26 ppm, choline/phosphocholine, and glutamate/glutamine. Dexamethasone treatment broadened lipid peaks. Changes after treatment with sodium butyrate were obscure. Microscopically, cells were induced to morphologically different phenotypes by each drug.
Conclusion: Cells induced to exhibit morphologically different phenotypes present different 1H spectra.