H-1 DETECTED INVIVO C-13 NMR-SPECTROSCOPY AND IMAGING AT 2T MAGNETIC-FIELD - EFFICIENT MONITORING OF C-13-LABELED METABOLITES IN THE RAT-BRAIN DERIVED FROM 1-C-13-GLUCOSE

Gradient-select hetero-nuclear multiple quantum coherence in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), an indirect method of detecting nuclei in low sensitivity by 1H NMR, was used to observe 13C-enriched metabolites in the rat brain in vivo, with a 2 T NMR system. We detected the accumulation of 13C-labeled glucose and its metabolites, glutamine and/or glutamate, in less than 5 min. The extension of this technique to chemical shift imaging permitted the localization of these chemicals in the rat brain. This approach may have various applications for non-invasive monitoring of 13C-labeled compounds in humans and other animals. © 1993 Academic Press, Inc.