Adaptation of culture methods for NMR studies of anchorage-dependent cells

Two methods for growing anchorage-dependent cells were adapted for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements: growing cells on agarose polyacrolein microsphere beads and on "filters" made of nonwoven polyester fabric. Both were found to be convenient and most suitable for NMR studies in any conventional spectrometer without probe modification. These methods were employed in studies of human breast cancer T47D-A11 cells, using scanning electron microscopy and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The results show that the contents per cell of phosphorylcholine, phosphorylethanolamine, and their glycerol derivatives depend on the mode of cell assembly and decrease gradually with the increase in cell-cell interaction along the growth curve.