Rainaldi, G., Romano, R., Indovina, P., Ferrante, A., Motta, A., Indovina, P. L. and Santini, M. T. Metabolomics Using 1H-NMR of Apoptosis and Necrosis in HL60 Leukemia Cells: Differences between the Two Types of Cell Death and Independence from the Stimulus of Apoptosis Used. Radiat. Res. 169, 170–180 (2008). High-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy was used to examine and compare the metabolic variations that occur in cells of the HL60 promyelocytic leukemia cell line after induction of apoptosis by ionizing radiation and the antineoplastic drug doxorubicin as well as after induction of necrosis by heating. Apoptosis and necrosis were confirmed by fluorescence microscopy using the chromatin stain Hoechst 33258, agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA, and determination of caspase 3 enzymatic activity. The 1H-NMR experiments revealed that the spectra of both samples containing apoptotic cells were characterized by the same trend of several important metabolites. Specifi...

High resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectroscopy was used to determine if the same cell line (MG‐63 human osteosarcoma cells) grown in monolayer or as small (about 50–80 μm in diameter), three‐dimensional tumor spheroids with no hypoxic center has different metabolic characteristics. Consequently, the ¹H NMR spectra were obtained from both types of cultures and then compared. The results indicate that the type of cellular spatial array determines specific changes in MG‐63 cells. In particular, small but significant differences in lactate and alanine indicating a perturbation in energy metabolism were observed in the two cell models. In addition, although variations in CH₂ and CH₃ groups were also seen, it is not possible at this time to establish if lipid metabolism is truly different in cells and spheroids.

In recent years, there has been increasing evidence that extremely low frequency magnetic fields might be linked to tumours, particularly with childhood leukaemia. In the same period, the role of apoptosis in the tumour process has also gained increasing importance. It is the purpose of this review to describe the apoptotic process, discuss selected papers in which apoptosis is examined in cells exposed to magnetic fields and describe the possible biophysical mechanisms responsible for changes in the apoptotic process in exposed cells. Despite some differences, as a whole, the literature seems to demonstrate that magnetic fields induce changes in apoptosis in cells exposed to different experimental protocols. In addition, the important role of ions, particularly of Ca^2 +, in the apoptotic process is also discussed, and one possible model for magnetic field action on apoptosis that brings together experimental observations of different nature is suggested and discussed.