Combining hyperpolarized¹³C MRI with a liver-specific gadolinium contrast agent for selective assessment of hepatocyte metabolism

PURPOSE: C MRI is a powerful tool for studying metabolism, but can lack tissue specificity. Gadoxetate is a gadolinium-based MRI contrast agent that is selectively taken into hepatocytes. The goal of this project was to investigate whether gadoxetate can be used to selectively suppress the hyperpolarized signal arising from hepatocytes, which could in future studies be applied to generate specificity for signal from abnormal cell types. METHODS: C]pyruvate using a three-dimensional (3D) MRSI sequence prior to and 15 min following administration of gadoxetate. The lactate:pyruvate ratio and alanine:pyruvate ratios were measured in liver and kidney. RESULTS: C]pyruvate, explaining the greater selective relaxation effect on alanine. CONCLUSIONS: C MRI signals. Magn Reson Med 77:2356-2363, 2017.