Michael Samuel Dodd1,2, Helen J. Atherton1,
Marie A. Schroeder1, Lisa C. Heather1, Lowri E. Cochlin1,
Kieran Clarke1, George K. Radda1, Damian J. Tyler1
1Department of Physiology, Anatomy and
Genetics, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom; 2Department
of Cardiovascular Medicine, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, United
Kingdom
The
recent advent of hyperpolarized 13C-MRS has opened a new window on
in vivo cardiac metabolism. The use
of hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate has previously been shown to
provide an in vivo measure of
pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) flux, which directly correlates with disease
severity. The aim of this work was to compare in vivo measurements of PDH flux with ex vivo measurements of PDH enzymatic activity. Using well
established mechanisms for modulating PDH activity, we have shown that in vivo PDH flux, as measured by
hyperpolarized 13C MRS, significantly correlates with ex vivo PDH activity, as measured by well
established biochemical assay.