Figure 2

2D Chemical Shift Imaging with hyperpolarized ¹³C ascorbates reveals different transport and compartmentalization of dehydroascorbate (DHA) and vitamin C (VitC). (a) Injection of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]DHA, with conversion to VitC in the normal rat brain. The VitC resonance is only observed in voxels corresponding to the brain as shown in the VitC signal intensity map and slab spectra, while the DHA resonance is observed both in the brain and surrounding tissue. A representative voxel corresponding to brain tissue shows both a resonance corresponding to the introduced hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]DHA and its metabolite [1-¹³C]VitC. (b) Injection of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]VitC in normal rats. Lower (in this case negligible) VitC signal is seen in voxels corresponding to brain as shown in the VitC signal intensity map and slab spectra, and no oxidation to DHA is observed. A representative voxel corresponding to tissues in the neck show a resonance corresponding to the introduced hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]VitC without evidence of metabolic conversion.