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Abstract #0022

Hyperpolarized 13C Ascorbates in the Anesthetized Rat Brain

David M. Wilson1, John Kurhanewicz1, Kayvan R. Keshari1

1Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, United States


The reducing agents glutathione and Vitamin C are maintained at high concentrations in the brain, and have a critical role in dealing with reactive oxygen species seen as culprits in aging, neurodegenerative disease, and ischemic injury. We have developed [1-13C] dehydroascorbate, the oxidized form of Vitamin C, as a redox sensor for in vivo imaging using hyperpolarized 13C spectroscopy. In anesthetized rats, hyperpolarized [1-13C] DHA was rapidly converted to [1-13C] Vitamin C within the brain. In contrast, hyperpolarized [1-13C] Vitamin C studies demonstrated no observable oxidation to [1-13C] DHA, with diminished signals in brain voxels consistent with limited blood-brain-barrier penetration.