Quantitative Analysis of Central Energy Metabolism in Cell Culture Samples

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is one of the key analytical platforms used in the analysis of intracellular and extracellular metabolites. Despite the technological advances that allow for the production of high-quality data, the sampling procedures of cultured cells are less well standardized. Different cell lines and culture media composition require adjustments of the protocols to result meaningful quantitative information. Here we provide the workflow for obtaining quantitative metabolic data from adherent mammalian cells using NMR spectroscopy. The robustness of NMR allows for the implementation of the here described protocol to other cell types with only minor adjustments.