Investigation of Glycolysis and TCA Cycle of Pancreatic Cancer Cells using 13C NMR Spectroscopy*

Bhumika Mellachervu,1,3  Lloyd Lumata1,2,3 

1Department of Physics, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080 

2Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080 

3Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080 

Pancreatic cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the pancreas, an organ that lies behind the stomach. The most common type of pancreatic cancer is pancreatic adenocarcinoma, which is when the pancreas, which primarily consists of exocrine cells that start to grow out of control. Pancreatic cancer cells have metabolic abnormalities which allow them to grow in hypoxic and nutrient-deficient environments. To maintain growth, pancreatic cancer cells can increase their uptake of glucose, amino acids, and lipids to further proliferation and maintain malignant growth. Although 2D cell models have some limitations in representing cell-to-cell interactions and potential changes in cell shape, this method provides a simple but detailed analysis of cell behaviors such as cell viability, reproducibility, and proliferation of these cancer cells and diseases. I expect the metabolism and proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells to be affected in specific environments and metabolic pathways, which can play an essential role in targeting new treatments and drugs. Hence, we utilized the pancreatic cell line Mia-Paca-2 doped with [1-13C] glucose and [2-13C] glucose and NMR Spectroscopy to investigate and track its metabolism under incubation times of 1 hour, 24 hours, and 48 hours. This study aims to provide insights into drug action, development of tissue engineering, and treatment strategies. The results of this study will be presented and discussed.