The development of hyperpolarized carbon-13 (13C) metabolic MRI has enabled the sensitive and noninvasive assessment of real-time in vivo metabolism in tumors. Although several studies have explored the feasibility of using hyperpolarized 13C metabolic imaging for neuro-oncology applications, most of these studies utilized high-grade enhancing tumors, and little is known about hyperpolarized 13C metabolic features of a non-enhancing tumor. In this study, 13C MR spectroscopic imaging with hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate was applied for the differential characterization of metabolic profiles between enhancing and non-enhancing gliomas using rodent models of glioblastoma and a diffuse midline glioma. Distinct metabolic profiles were found between the enhancing and non-enhancing tumors, as well as their contralateral normal-appearing brain tissues. The preliminary results from this study suggest that the characterization of metabolic patterns from hyperpolarized 13C imaging between non-enhancing and enhancing tumors may be beneficial not only for understanding distinct metabolic features between the two lesions, but also for providing a basis for understanding 13C metabolic processes in ongoing clinical trials with neuro-oncology patients using this technology.
Keywords: brain tumor; enhancing tumor and non-enhancing tumor; glioma; hyperpolarized 13C MRI; metabolites.