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Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging
Published on: December 30, 2016
Diabetes induced renal urea transport alterations assessed with 3D hyperpolarized 13 C,15 N-Urea
Lotte B Bertelsen1, Per M Nielsen1, Haiyun Qi1
1MR Research Centre, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Purpose:
In the current study, we investigated hyperpolarized urea as a possible imaging biomarker of the renal function by means of the intrarenal osmolality gradient.
Methods:
Hyperpolarized three-dimensional balanced steady state 13 C MRI experiments alongside kidney function parameters and quantitative polymerase chain reaction measurements was performed on two groups of rats, a streptozotocin type 1 diabetic group and a healthy control group.
Results:
A significant decline in intrarenal steepness of the urea gradient was found after 4 weeks of untreated insulinopenic diabetes in agreement with an increased urea transport transcription.
Conclusion:
MRI and hyperpolarized [13 C,15 N]urea can monitor the changes in the corticomedullary urea concentration gradients in diabetic and healthy control rats. Magn Reson Med 77:1650-1655, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
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