Direct arterial injection of hyperpolarized (13)C‐labeled substrates into rat tumors for rapid MR detection of metabolism with minimal substrate dilution

PURPOSE: A rat model was developed to enable direct administration of hyperpolarized (13)C‐labeled molecules into a tumor‐supplying artery for magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies of tumor metabolism. METHODS: Rat P22 sarcomas were implanted into the right inguinal fat pad of BDIX rats such that the developing tumors received their principle blood supply directly from the right superior epigastric artery. Hyperpolarized (13)C‐molecules were either infused directly to the tumor through the epigastric artery or systemically through the contralateral femoral vein. Spectroscopic data were obtained on a 7 Tesla preclinical scanner. RESULTS: Intra‐arterial infusion of hyperpolarized (13)C‐pyruvate increased the pyruvate tumor signal by a factor of 4.6, compared with intravenous infusion, despite an approximately 7 times smaller total dose to the rat. Hyperpolarized glucose signal was detected at near‐physiological systemic blood concentration. Pyruvate to lactate but not glucose to lactate metabolism was detected in the tumor. Hyperpolarized (13)C‐labeled combretastatin A1 diphosphate, a tumor vascular disrupting agent, showed an in vivo signal in the tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The model maximizes tumor substrate/drug delivery and minimizes T(1) relaxation signal losses in addition to systemic toxicity. Therefore, it permits metabolic studies of hyperpolarized substrates with relatively short T(1) and opens up the possibility for preclinical studies of hyperpolarized drug molecules. Magn Reson Med 78:2116–2126, 2017. © 2017 The Authors Magnetic Resonance in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.