Knop R H, Chen C W, Mitchell J B, Russo A, McPherson S, Cohen J S
Biochim Biophys Acta. 1984 Jul 20;804(3):275-84. doi: 10.1016/0167-4889(84)90130-7.
Levels of ATP and Pi in metabolically active Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts were monitored noninvasively by 31P-NMR over many hours and under a variety of conditions. The cells were embedded in a matrix of agarose gel in the form of fine threads which were continuously perfused in a standard NMR tube. The small diameter of the thread allows rapid diffusion of metabolites and drugs into the cells. The changes in ATP and Pi levels were followed as a function of time in response to perfusion with a glucose-containing medium, with isotonic saline and with a medium containing 2,4-dinitrophenol, an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation. This gel-thread perfusion method should enable routine NMR studies of cellular metabolism, and may have other potential biological applications.
