Lipid signals detected by NMR proton spectroscopy of whole cells are not correlated to lipid droplets evidenced by the Nile red staining.

: Nile red staining was used to detect lipid droplets in the K562 cell line sensitive and resistant to adriamycin and their resistance-reversing counterparts. The staining obtained was compared to the intensity of lipid signal detected in proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. From the four cell lines used, a lack of correlation was observed between the NMR signal and the Nile red staining. For example, the sensitive K562 cells, with the highest level of NMR signals, showed only few cells containing lipid droplets. We concluded that is lipid droplets can participate to lipid signal in NMR spectra, other lipids must also participate to these resonance.