Combined proton NMR imaging and spectral analysis of locust embryonic development

Images and spectra of desert locust [Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal)] embryos were collected in vivo using a 4.7-tesla proton (1H) NMR imaging spectrometer. The 100 × 100 × 500 μ m image resolution and 125-nl localized spectral volumes were obtained within minutes of each other. The dynamics of embryonic development were slow enough that the time delay between imaging and spectral measurements in negligible. Thus, image and spectral data correspond closely and approximate real-time observations of embryonic changes. The above procedure was applied every 12 hr during the entire course of development. This analytical approach demonstrates that imaging and localized spectroscopy can be used to visualize and assess changes in embryonic water and lipid content in concert with the development of a living embryo.