Abstract
EARLY experiments on the biological effects of deuterium oxide indicated that the substitution of the pure substance for water resulted in cessation of growth in such diverse biological entities as tobacco seeds1, flatworms2, and mice3. When there was partial substitution of water by heavy water, growth was merely retarded. This retardation was attributed to an isotope effect resulting in lowered rates of reactions involving deuterium as compared to hydrogen4. The inhibition of tumour growth in animals the body water of which contained appreciable amounts of deuterium2,6 is another striking example of an isotope effect in which retardation of a biological reaction has been observed. Similar isotope effects have been observed in photochemical reactions4 as well as in yeast fermentation7.
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ROTHSTIEN, E., MANSON, L., HARTZELL, R. et al. Effects of Deuterium Oxide on the Synthesis of T5 and T7 Bacteriophages. Nature 184, 1167–1168 (1959). https://doi.org/10.1038/1841167b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1841167b0
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