Abstract #1989

Cheng L, Jordan K

The assumption that tissue sample storage in the80C condition prevents metabolite degradation/alteration has never been tested. In this study 15 human prostate tissues, removed from five prosatectomy patients, that had been stored at80C for 32 months were analyzed with high resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) MR spectroscopy, and compared to the original measurements of the same specimens from 2002 when snap frozen for less than 24 hours. Results from this study clearly demonstrate that long-term storage at80C has negligible effects on metabolite concentrations, furthermore, contributions to metabolic profiles are more dramatically altered by innate tissue heterogeneities.