Results

Abstract

The relative changes in respiration, glycolysis, and impedance of all tested cancer cell lines are compared in Fig. 4.1 – the basic glycolytic rate being lowest in MCF-7 and highest in HCT-116; respiration being highest in MCF-7 and lowest in HT-29. Differences in glycolytic and respiratory activity may reflect variations in a cell’s ability to react to severe stress conditions. For instance, the lower basic glycolytic rate in MCF-7 cells may allow these cells to respond to severe stress conditions by inducing this metabolic pathway, while glycolysis can not be further induced in the other cell lines. Treatment with stress-inducing compounds like methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) and tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP) also causes MCF-7 to increase glycolysis upon inhibition of respiration, while HT-29 increases respiration under stress conditions (Fig. 4.2).