cardiac metabolism can be imaged by hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate magnetic resonance imaging in large animals

A new article published in NMR in Biomedicine (February 2017) by Danish Diabetes Academy PhD student Esben Søvsø Szocska Hansen, Aarhus University, demonstrates that cardiac metabolism can be imaged by hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) in large animals. Further, the results show that changes in the healthy cardiac metabolism are detectable with a good reproducibility.

HYPERPOLARIZED MRI TO DETECT CHANGES IN CARDIAC METABOLISM 

Cardiac metabolism is considered a significant tool for diagnostic and prognostic purposes and holds promise as target for personalized medicine. Human trials on heart metabolism using hyperpolarized MRI are emerging and reference data from comparable large animals is needed. Hyperpolarized cardiac MRI is getting an increased attention for its property of non-invasively real-time metabolism probe.

GLUCOSE, INSULIN AND POTASSIUM TO PUSH CARDIAC METABOLISM

In this study, healthy pigs were used and their cardiac metabolism was measured before and after an infusion of glucose, insulin and potassium (GIK). According to Esben Hansen, the GIK infusion is known to increase cardiac metabolism and they utilized this for the purpose to produce real-time images of this process. The hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate probe used in this study gives them images of pyruvate arriving in the heart and at what rate pyruvate is metabolized into lactate, bicarbonate and alanine.

REAL-TIME IMAGING OF CARDIAC METABOLISM IS PROMISING 

"From the results of our study, we concluded that hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate MRI is a feasible technique for cardiac studies and shows a generally high reproducibility in large animals. GIK infusion increases the metabolic rate of pyruvate to its metabolic derivatives lactate, alanine and bicarbonate". says Esben Hansen.

AUTHORS AND AFFILIATION

Source: NMR in Biomedicine