Metabolic Spectroscopy and Imaging of Lung Inflammation Using Hyperpolarized 1-13C Pyruvate

Sarmad Siddiqui¹, Hoora Shaghaghi¹, Stephen J. Kadlececk¹, Harrilla Profka¹, Rahim Rizi¹

It is generally accepted that inflammatory cell activity, particularly that of neutrophils, may contribute to, or even exacerbate existing lung injury. In this study, the uptake of hyperpolarized [1-13C] pyruvate is investigated as a potential marker for inflammation in lung tissue. Excised lungs from a bleomycin-exposed inflammatory rat model were used to study changes in hyperpolarized pyruvate uptake and its conversion to lactate and alanine. Chemical shift imaging was also performed to generate metabolite maps for excised lungs. Significant differences in the production of hyperpolarized lactate were found between the disease inflammatory model and control rats.