Development of a Hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe System on 3T for the Rat Lungs

Abstract

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) with ¹²⁹Xe has gained much attention as a diagnostic methodology because of its affinity for lipids and possible polarization. The quantitative estimation of net detectability and stability of hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe in the dissolved phase in vivo is valuable to the development of clinical applications. The goal of this study was to develop a stable hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe experimental 3T system to statistically analyze the dissolved-phase ¹²⁹Xe signal in the rat lungs.
The polarization of ¹²⁹Xe with buffer gases at the optical pumping cell was measured under adiabatic fast passage against the temperature of an oven and laser absorption at the cell. The gases were insufflated into the lungs of Sprague-Dawley rats (n=15, 400-550 g) through an endotracheal tube under spontaneous respiration. Frequency-selective spectroscopy was performed for the gas phase and dissolved phase. We analyzed the ¹²⁹Xe signal in the dissolved phase to measure the chemical shift, T₂^*, delay and its ratio in a rat lungs on 3T.
The polarizer was able to produce polarized gas (1.1±0.47%, 120 cm³) hundreds of times with the laser absorption ratio (25%) kept constant at the cell. The optimal buffer gas ratio of 25-50% rendered the maximum signal in the dissolved phase. Two dominant peaks of 211.8±0.9 and 201.1±0.6 ppm were observed with a delay of 0.4±0.9 and 0.9±1.0 s from the gas phase spectra. The ratios of their average signal to that of the gas phase were 5.6±5.2% and 4.4±4.7%, respectively. The T₂^* of the air space in the lungs was 2.5±0.5 ms, which was 3.8 times shorter than that in a syringe.
We developed a hyperpolarized ¹²⁹Xe experimental system using a 3T MRI scanner that yields sufficient volume and polarization and quantitatively analyzed the dissolved-phase ¹²⁹Xe signal in the rat lungs.