Evaluation of the effect of deuterium-depleted water on inhibiting the growth of colorectal cancer cells

This study aimed to investigate the effect of deuterium-depleted water (DDW) in specific concentrations on HT-29 and SW-480 cells. HT-29 and SW-480 cell lines were cultured in RPMI medium containing different concentrations of DDW for 24, 48, and 72 hours, and then the percentage of cell survival was determined by MTT-based cytotoxicity assay. The findings proved the role of reducing deuterium and increasing time treatment in inhibiting the growth of these cell lines. The lowest cell survival rates for HT-29 and SW-480 cell lines were obtained during 72 hours of treatment with 30 ppm deuterium concentration, with 23% and 37% cell survival percentages, respectively. To investigate the side effects of deuterium-depleted water, normal C2C12 cells were also treated with deuterium-depleted water. The results showed that under the same conditions as cancer cells, deuterium-depleted water has a lower growth inhibitory effect on normal cells, so cell survival in this cell line was more than 50%. Our data show that deuterium-depleted water could open up a new strategic approach to preventing and treating colorectal cancer.