H NMR spectroscopic characterisation of HepG2 cells as a model metabolic system for toxicology studies.

The immortalised human hepatocellular HepG2 cell line is commonly used for toxicology studies as an alternative to animal testing due to its characteristic liver-distinctive functions. However, little is known about the baseline metabolic changes within these cells upon toxin exposure. We have applied H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterise the biochemical composition of HepG2 cells at baseline and post-exposure to hydrogen peroxide (HO).