Effect of Deuterium on the Morpho-Functional Characteristics of Normal and Cancer Cells in Vitro

Objective: The aim of our study was to describe effects of different deuterium concentration on morphology and migratory activity of normal stem cells and cancer cell lines in vitro. Materials and methosj51 Water with different deuterium content was used for the culture media preparation: deuterium-depleted water (ddw, D/H = 1 ppm), deutereted (deuterium-rich) water (D/H = 99 abs. At. D%); water with natural deuterium content (MiliQ system) (D/H = 150 ppm) served as control. The cells were cultured in DMEM: F12 supplemented with 10% FBS, 2 mM L-glutamine, and 1 ng/mL FGF-2 in a multi-gas incubator at 5% CO2 and 5% O-2. The morphology of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) was observed after 24 and 72 hours cultivation in experimental media. After incubating for 0, 12, 24, and 48 hours, the gap width of scratch re-population was measured and recorded, and then compared with the initial gap size at 0 hours. Results: High deuterium concentration in culture medium leads to significant morphological changes in normal ADSCs that are associated with cellular stress. Moreover, the migratory activity of ADSCs was inhibited under the deutereted water. At the same time. ddw did not influence morphology or migration of ADSCs. Bothdeutereted water and ddw strongly inhibited migration of cancer cell lines A549 and HT29. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that deuterium could act as regulator of biological properties of normal and cancer cells in vitro. However, the mechanisms that underlie the deuterium-mediated effect on different cellular types need to be further investigated.