Dicarboxylic acids as pH sensors for hyperpolarized 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging†
Abstract
Imaging tumoral pH may help to characterize aggressiveness, metastasis, and therapeutic response. We report the development of hyperpolarized [2-13C,D10]diethylmalonic acid, which exhibits a large pH-dependent 13C chemical shift over the physiological range. We demonstrate that co-polarization with [1-13C,D9]tert-butanol accurately measures pH via13C NMR and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging in phantoms.