[Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and hepatic metabolism. Real time study of cell energy and intermediate metabolism in the isolated and perfused rat liver].

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is increasingly used to study cellular metabolism in a manner respecting cell integrity. The contribution of phosphorus-31 and carbon-13 NMR is discussed and illustrated by specific examples taken from work on hepatic metabolism carried out in this laboratory. Particular emphasis is laid on metabolite identification, quantitation and fluxes as studied by phosphorus-31 NMR which provides a direct insight of energy metabolism. The analysis of perfused rat liver by naturally abundant carbon-13 NMR illustrates the potential of the method to study non invasively lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in living systems. The use of carbon-13 enriched substrates to pinpoint a specific pathway of the intermediary metabolism is described in the case of excised rat liver perfused with (2-13C)-acetate.