Metabolite kinetics in C6 rat glioma model using magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate

In addition to an increased lactate-to-pyruvate ratio, altered metabolism of a malignant glioma can be further characterized by its kinetics. Spatially resolved dynamic data of pyruvate and lactate from C6-implanted female Sprague-Dawley rat brain were acquired using a spiral chemical shift imaging sequence after a bolus injection of a hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate. Apparent rate constants for the conversion of pyruvate to lactate in three different regions (glioma, normal appearing brain, and vasculature) were estimated based on a two-site exchange model. The apparent conversion rate constant was 0.018 ± 0.004 s^-1 (mean ± standard deviation, n = 6) for glioma, 0.009 ± 0.003 s^-1 for normal brain, and 0.005 ± 0.001 s^-1 for vasculature, whereas the lactate-to-pyruvate ratio, the metabolic marker used to date to identify tumor regions, was 0.36 ± 0.07 (mean ± SD), 0.24 ± 0.07, and 0.12 ± 0.02 for glioma, normal brain, and vasculature, respectively. The data suggest that the apparent conversion rate better differentiate glioma from normal brain (P = 0.001, n = 6) than the lactate-to-pyruvate ratio (P = 0.02).