The effect of glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl glycine; the active ingredient of Roundup herbicide) on plant cells metabolism was analysed by 31P and 13C NMR using suspension-cultured sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L) cells. Cells were compressed in the NMR tube and perfused with an original arrangement enabling a tight control of the circulating nutrient medium. Addition of 1 mM glyphosate to the nutrient medium triggered the accumulation of shikimate (20-30 mumol g-1 cell wet weight within 50 h) and shikimate 3-phosphate (1-1.5 mumol g-1 cell wet weight within 50 h). From in vivo spectra it was demonstrated that these two compounds were accumulated in the cytoplasm where their concentrations reached potentially lethal levels. On the other hand, glyphosate present in the cytoplasmic compartment was extensively metabolized to yield aminomethylphosphonic acid which also accumulated in the cytoplasm. Finally, the results presented in this paper indicate that although the cell growth was stopped by glyphosate the cell respiration rates and the level of energy metabolism intermediates remained unchanged.