Noninvasive, Nondestructive Approaches to Cell Bioenergetics

To demonstrate the feasibility of using NMR spectra of human limbs and larger animals for continuous, noninvasive, nondestructive evaluation of cell bioenergetics, we have constructed a relatively simple and inexpensive31P NMR apparatus. This apparatus consists of an 18-cm (7-in.) bore superconducting magnet and appropriate transmit-receive components for Fourier transform NMR. The principal signals observed by this instrument in the tissues are due to phosphocreatine and inorganic phosphate. The apparatus can be used to detect tissue normoxia and hypoxia. The large phosphocreatine/phosphate ratio (>10:1), and the low phosphate signal from normoxic tissue (≈ 10% of the phosphocreatine signal from brain and human skeletal tissue) make an increased phosphate peak a very sensitive indicator of tissue hypoxia. Direct experiments on the human forearm and leg and the brains of dog and rabbit suggest the applicability of31P NMR to humans and animals. This method and optical methods can both be used for quantitative determination of oxygen delivery to tissue, function of mitochondria, and the coupling of bioenergetic processes to functional activity in skeletal tissue and brain.