Hyperpolarized [2–13C]pyruvate MR molecular imaging with whole brain coverage

Abstract

Hyperpolarized (HP) 13C Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was applied for the first time to image and quantify the uptake and metabolism of [2–13C]pyruvate in the human brain to provide new metabolic information on cerebral energy metabolism. HP [2–13C]pyruvate was injected intravenously and imaged in 5 healthy human volunteer exams with whole brain coverage in a 1-minute acquisition using a specialized spectral-spatial multi-slice echoplanar imaging (EPI) pulse sequence to acquire 13C-labeled volumetric and dynamic images of [2–13C]pyruvate and downstream metabolites [5–13C]glutamate and [2–13C]lactate. Metabolic ratios and apparent conversion rates of pyruvate-to-lactate (kPL) and pyruvate-to-glutamate (kPG) were quantified to investigate simultaneously glycolytic and oxidative metabolism in a single injection.