Deuterium metabolic imaging reveals altered glucose metabolism in a multiple sclerosis mouse model

Motivation: Deuterium metabolic imaging (DMI) is well-suited for studying glucose metabolism in multiple sclerosis (MS), which could potentially be used for disease diagnosis and monitoring. Goal(s): To assess the ability of DMI to detect alterations in glucose metabolism in vivo in a MS mouse model. Approach: C57BL/6J mice received regular chow (n=9) or 0.2% cuprizone (CPZ) diet for 4 weeks (n=11) followed by DMI, T2-weighted MRI, immunofluorescence and glutamate assays. Results: Glutamate/glutamine (Glx) concentrations were increased in CPZ compared to control mice. Ex vivo analysis confirmed the increase in glutamate in CPZ mice and showed decreased myelination and increased inflammation. Impact: DMI can assess Glx levels non-invasively in MS and could serve as a novel marker of neuronal damage following demyelination. DMI is clinically translatable and holds potential for future MS clinical trials and other disorders presenting Glx imbalance.