Marion I. Menzel1, Eliane Weidl2, Martin A. Janich2, Oleksandr Khegai1, Florian Wiesinger1, Axel Haase3, Rolf F. Schulte1, Markus Schwaiger2
1GE Global Research, Munich, Germany; 2Nuclear Medicine, Technische Universitt Mnchen, Munich, Germany; 3IMETUM, Technische Universitt Mnchen, Munich, Germany
In Vivo biochemical imaging using hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate and 18F-FDG PET in HCC tumor rats was compared. Findings for uptake, compartmentalization of signal and overall tumor visibility were correlated with physiological and biochemical data. While all tumors showed high signal in PET, integrated metabolite images shown only 40 % (pyruvate) and 70 % (lactate) of all tumors. Analysis of 13C signal dynamics revealed a statistically higher proportion of pyruvate reaching the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) than the tumors, with tumors exhibiting higher turnover of pyruvate to lactate and alanine than GIT, indicating a compartmentalization effect of [1-13C]pyruvate and its downstream me-tabolites.