The Effect of Deuterium Depleted/Enriched Water on the Growth of A549 and HepG2 Cell Lines

Background: Although advances in cancer therapy continue to develop, the overall survival rate is poor for some cancer cases. The search for a new adjuvant strategy is the focus of cancer treatment. There is some evidence suggesting a change in the mechanism of cell function by a change in the content of deuterium in the medium. So, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of deuterium depleted water (DDW) and deuterium enriched water (DEW) on the cell growth and cytotoxicity of two A549 and HepG2 cell lines. Methods: TheA549 and HepG2 cell lines were cultured in media at different concentrations of deuterium and different exposure times. Cell proliferation was carried out by trypan blue dye exclusion technique.  The cytotoxicity effects of DEW and DDW were determined by MTT assay on different exposure times (24, 48 and 72 h). Results: In this study, DEW acted as a dose- response growth inhibitor at deuterium concentration of 50×103 ppm and greater, while no considerable effect was seen upon short and long term exposures to DDW (31 ppm and 127 ppm deuterium).  Both DEW and DDW at used deuterium concentrations were found not to be toxic on the studied cell lines. Conclusion: In conclusion, long term treatment with DEW could inhibit the proliferation of A549/HepG2 cell lines. Therefore, it can be considered as an adjuvant in cancer therapy.