Magnetic resonance imaging of tumor glycolysis using hyperpolarized ¹³C-labeled glucose

Nature Medicine

(2013)

doi:10.1038/nm.3416

Received: 19 November 2012
Accepted: 23 April 2013
Published online: 08 December 2013

Abstract

In this study, we monitored glycolysis in mouse lymphoma and lung tumors by measuring the conversion of hyperpolarized [U-²H, U-¹³C]glucose to lactate using ¹³C magnetic resonance spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging. We observed labeled lactate only in tumors and not in surrounding normal tissue or other tissues in the body and found that it was markedly decreased at 24 h after treatment with a chemotherapeutic drug. We also detected an increase in a resonance assigned to 6-phosphogluconate in the pentose phosphate pathway. This technique could provide a new way of detecting early evidence of tumor treatment response in the clinic and of monitoring tumor pentose phosphate pathway activity.