A non-synthetic approach to extending the lifetime of hyperpolarized molecules using D₂O solvation

Although dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization is a robust technique to significantly increase magnetic resonance signal, the short T₁ relaxation time of most ¹³C-nuclei limits the timescale of hyperpolarized experiments. To address this issue, we have characterized a non-synthetic approach to extend the hyperpolarized lifetime of ¹³C-nuclei in close proximity to solvent-exchangeable protons. Protons exhibit stronger dipolar relaxation than deuterium, so dissolving these compounds in D₂O to exchange labile protons with solvating deuterons results in longer-lived hyperpolarization of the ¹³C-nucleus 2-bonds away. ¹³C T₁ and T₂ times were longer in D₂O versus H₂O for all molecules in this study. This phenomenon can be utilized to improve hyperpolarized signal-to-noise ratio as a function of longer T₁, and enhanced spectral and imaging resolution via longer T₂.