Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hyperpolarized 13C spectroscopic magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is an advanced imaging tool that may provide important real-time information about brain metabolism. METHODS: Mice underwent unilateral hypoxia-ischemia (HI) on postnatal day (P)10. Injured and sham mice were scanned at P10, P17, and P31. We used hyperpolarized 13C MRS to investigate the metabolic exchange of pyruvate to lactate in real time during brain development following HI. 13C-1-labeled pyruvate was hyperpolarized and injected into the tail vein through a tail-vein catheter. Chemical-shift imaging was performed to acquire spectral-spatial information of the metabolites in the brain. A voxel placed on each of the injured and contralateral hemispheres was chosen for comparison. The difference in pyruvate delivery and lactate to pyruvate ratio was calculated for each of the voxels at each time point. The normalized lactate level of the injured hemisphere was also calculated for each mouse at each of the scanning time points. RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in pyruvate delivery and a higher lactate to pyruvate ratio in the ipsilateral (HI) hemisphere at P10. The differences decreased at P17 and disappeared at P31. The normalized lactate level in the injured hemisphere increased from P10 to P31 in both sham and HI mice without brain injury. CONCLUSION: We describe a method for detecting and monitoring the evolution of HI injury during brain maturation which could prove to be an excellent biomarker of injury.