Daniel Ball1,
Michael Dodd1, Helen Atherton2, Marie Schroeder1,
Carolyn Carr1, George Radda1, Kieran Clarke1,
Damian Tyler1
1Department of
Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire,
United Kingdom; 2Department of Biochemistry, Cambridge University
The use of hyperpolarized pyruvate has been demonstrated to be extremely useful for the assessment of cardiac carbohydrate metabolism, but it is unable to probe cardiac fatty acid metabolism. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an appropriate probe to allow assessment of short-chain fatty acid metabolism. Hyperpolarized butyrate, a 4-carbon short chain fatty acid was chosen as its small molecular size ensured high levels of polarization and a sufficiently long relaxation time for application. Metabolism of hyperpolarized [1-13C]butyrate was demonstrated in the perfused rat heart through the visualization of butyrate incorporation into the TCA cycle.