A radiofrequency system for in vivo hyperpolarized 13C MRS experiments in mice with a 3T MRI clinical scanner

Hyperpolarized carbon-13 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a powerful tool to explore tissue metabolic state, by permitting the study of intermediary metabolism of biomolecules in vivo. However, a number of technological problems still limit this technology and need innovative solutions. In particular, the low molar concentration of derivate metabolites give rise to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which makes the design and development of dedicated radiofrequency (RF) coils a fundamental task. In this article, the authors describe the simulation and the design of a RF coils configuration for MR experiments in mice, constituted by a 1H whole body volume RF coil for imaging and a 13C single circular loop surface RF coil for performing 13C acquisitions. After the building, the RF system was employed in an in vivo experiment in a mouse injected with hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate by using a 3 T clinical MR scanner. SCANNING 38:710–719, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.