New Findings from University of California San Francisco (UCSF) in the Area of Cardiovascular Research Described (Probing Human Heart Tca Cycle Metabolism and Response To Glucose Load Using Hyperpolarized [2-13c]Pyruvate Mrs).

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) explored the metabolic flexibility of the human heart and its response to glucose load. The study utilized hyperpolarized [2-13C]pyruvate MRI to examine metabolites that reflect tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle flux in cardiac myocytes. The researchers found that after a glucose load, there was an increase in the labeling of lactate, glutamate, and acetylcarnitine, suggesting increased enzyme activity and TCA cycle flux. This noninvasive imaging technique provides valuable information on cardiac metabolic flexibility and the acetylcarnitine pool. [Extracted from the article]