13C NMR study of C2- and C3-deuterated lactic acid production by parotid cells exposed to 13C-labeled glucose in the presence of D2O.

The generation of C2- and C3-deuterated lactic acid produced by rat parotid cells exposed to [1-13C] glucose, [2-13C]glucose, and [6-13C]glucose in the presence of D2O was assessed by 13C NMR. The results indicated that the escape from deuteration amounted to about 46% at the phosphoglucoisomerase level, 100% at the phosphomannoisomerase level, 65% in the reactions catalyzed by phosphofructoaldolase and triose phosphate isomerase, and 58% at the level of glutamate pyruvate transaminase. Such high values are considered to support a possible enzyme-to-enzyme tunneling of metabolic intermediates at selected sites in the glycolytic pathway.