Isotope effect of ¹³C‑enriched testosterone on human cells

Abstract

The present study investigated the carbon isotope effect of carbon-13 ( 13 C)-enriched testosterone on human cells; studies on the carbon isotope effects of a bioactive compound are limited. For this purpose, human osteoblasts, aortic endothelial cells and umbilical vein endothelial cells were treated with testosterone and 13 C-enriched testosterone. The cell growth rates and bioactivities of osteoblasts were measured. At physiological concentrations, testosterone promoted cell proliferation, whereas 13 C-enriched testosterone exerted a neutral and concentration-independent effect on the cells. On the whole, the findings of the present study demonstrated that 13 C-enriched testosterone exerted a significant isotope effect on human cells; this needs to be taken into account in stable isotope-based biology research.