Hyper-CEST Signatures of Functionalized 129Xe for Sensing Biomembrane Composition

Leif Schrder¹, Jagoda Sloniec², Christopher Witte¹, Ute Resch-Genger², Andreas Hennig²

Hyperpolarized xenon is a powerful NMR probe with both high sensitivity and specificity. It has been applied recently to reveal different intracellular NMR signatures of various cell lines. Here, we present a complementary method to detect different NMR signatures of functionalized xenon that partitions into membranes with negligible translocation. Exposing such sensors to various well defined biomembrane models yield very different z-spectra acquired with the Hyper-CEST method. This approach is sensitive to xenon exchange dynamics reflected by the CEST response. It therefore provides access to the related differences in membrane fluidity and could be used to reveal cell identity.