Hyperpolarized Butyrate: A Novel Substrate for the Assessment of Cardiac Fatty Acid Metabolism

Daniel Ball¹, Michael Dodd¹, Helen Atherton², Marie Schroeder¹, Carolyn Carr¹, George Radda¹, Kieran Clarke¹, Damian Tyler¹

The use of hyperpolarized pyruvate has been demonstrated to be extremely useful for the assessment of cardiac carbohydrate metabolism, but it is unable to probe cardiac fatty acid metabolism. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an appropriate probe to allow assessment of short-chain fatty acid metabolism. Hyperpolarized butyrate, a 4-carbon short chain fatty acid was chosen as its small molecular size ensured high levels of polarization and a sufficiently long relaxation time for application. Metabolism of hyperpolarized [1-13C]butyrate was demonstrated in the perfused rat heart through the visualization of butyrate incorporation into the TCA cycle.