(13) C magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements with hyperpolarized [1-(13) C] pyruvate can be used to detect the expression of transgenic pyruvate decarboxylase activity in vivo

Multinuclear MRI in Drug Discovery

The continuous development of magnetic resonance imaging broadens the range of applications to newer areas. Using MRI, we can not only visualize, but also track pharmaceutical substances and labeled cells in both in vivo and in vitro tests. ¹H is widely used in the MRI method, which is determined by its high content in the human body. The potential of the MRI method makes it an excellent tool for imaging the morphology of the examined objects, and also enables registration of changes at the level of metabolism. There are several reports in the scientific publications on the use of clinical MRI for in vitro tracking. The use of multinuclear MRI has great potential for scientific research and clinical studies. Tuning MRI scanners to the Larmor frequency of a given nucleus, allows imaging without tissue background. Heavy nuclei are components of both drugs and contrast agents and molecular complexes. The implementation of hyperpolarization techniques allows for better MRI sensitivity. The aim of this review is to present the use of multinuclear MRI for investigations in drug delivery.

Proteins, air and water: reporter genes for ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging

A long-standing goal of molecular imaging is to visualize cellular function within the context of living animals, necessitating the development of reporter genes compatible with deeply penetrant imaging modalities such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Until recently, no reporter genes for ultrasound were available, and most genetically encoded reporters for MRI were limited by metal availability or relatively low sensitivity. Here we review how these limitations are being addressed by recently introduced reporter genes based on air-filled and water-transporting biomolecules. We focus on gas-filled protein nanostructures adapted from buoyant microbes, which scatter sound waves, perturb magnetic fields and interact with hyperpolarized nuclei, as well as transmembrane water channels that alter the effective diffusivity of water in tissue.

Biomolecular MRI reporters: Evolution of new mechanisms

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful technique for observing the function of specific cells and molecules inside living organisms. However, compared to optical microscopy, in which fluorescent protein reporters are available to visualize hundreds of cellular functions ranging from gene expression and chemical signaling to biomechanics, to date relatively few such reporters are available for MRI. Efforts to develop MRI-detectable biomolecules have mainly focused on proteins transporting paramagnetic metals for T1 and T2 relaxation enhancement or containing large numbers of exchangeable protons for chemical exchange saturation transfer. While these pioneering developments established several key uses of biomolecular MRI, such as imaging of gene expression and functional biosensing, they also revealed that low molecular sensitivity poses a major challenge for broader adoption in biology and medicine. Recently, new classes of biomolecular reporters have been developed based on alternative contrast mechanisms, including enhancement of spin diffusivity, interactions with hyperpolarized nuclei, and modulation of blood flow. These novel reporters promise to improve sensitivity and enable new forms of multiplexed and functional imaging.

Following Metabolism in Living Microorganisms by Hyperpolarized (1)H NMR

Dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (dDNP) is used to enhance the sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), enabling monitoring of metabolism and specific enzymatic reactions in vivo. dDNP involves rapid sample dissolution and transfer to a spectrometer/scanner for subsequent signal detection. So far, most biologically oriented dDNP studies have relied on hyperpolarizing long-lived nuclear spin species such as (13)C in small molecules. While advantages could also arise from observing hyperpolarized (1)H, short relaxation times limit the utility of prepolarizing this sensitive but fast relaxing nucleus. Recently, it has been reported that (1)H NMR peaks in solution-phase experiments could be hyperpolarized by spontaneous magnetization transfers from bound (13)C nuclei following dDNP. This work demonstrates the potential of this sensitivity-enhancing approach to probe the enzymatic process that could not be suitably resolved by (13)C dDNP MR. Here we measured, in microorganisms, the action of pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) and pyruvate formate lyase (PFL)-enzymes that catalyze the decarboxylation of pyruvate to form acetaldehyde and formate, respectively. While (13)C NMR did not possess the resolution to distinguish the starting pyruvate precursor from the carbonyl resonances in the resulting products, these processes could be monitored by (1)H NMR at 500 MHz. These observations were possible in both yeast and bacteria in minute-long kinetic measurements where the hyperpolarized (13)C enhanced, via (13)C → (1)H cross-relaxation, the signals of protons binding to the (13)C over the course of enzymatic reactions. In addition to these spontaneous heteronuclear enhancement experiments, single-shot acquisitions based on J-driven (13)C → (1)H polarization transfers were also carried out. These resulted in higher signal enhancements of the (1)H resonances but were not suitable for multishot kinetic studies. The potential of these (1)H-based approaches for measurements in vivo is briefly discussed.