Optimisation of Murine Cardiac Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy using Dynamic Nuclear Polarization

Michael Samuel Dodd¹, Beat Schuler¹, Vicky Ball¹, Daniel Ball¹, George K. Radda¹, Houman Ashrafian², Hugh Watkins², Kieran Clarke¹, Damian J Tyler¹

Alterations in cardiac metabolism underlie many diseases of the heart. The advent of cardiac hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy, via dynamic nuclear polarization, has enabled a greater understanding of the in vivo metabolic changes seen as a consequence of heart disease. This study demonstrates for the first time a slice selective approach to investigate the in vivo metabolism of [1-¹³C]pyruvate in the murine heart. There is a significant 64% reduction in PDH flux in the fasted murine heart, similar to previous findings in the rat. This work validates the method for detecting changes in transgenic murine models of cardiovascular disease.