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Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Extracellular Glucose Depletion as an Indirect Measure of Glucose Uptake in Cells and Tissues Ex Vivo
Published on: April 6, 2022
CEST MRI of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose uptake and accumulation in brain tumors
Akansha Ashvani Sehgal1,2, Yuguo Li1,2, Bachchu Lal3
1Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Purpose:
3-O-Methyl-D-glucose (3-OMG) is a nonmetabolizable structural analog of glucose that offers potential to be used as a CEST-contrast agent for tumor detection. Here, we explore it for CEST-detection of malignant brain tumors and compare it with D-glucose.
Methods:
Glioma xenografts of a U87-MG cell line were implanted in five mice. Dynamic 3-OMG weighted images were collected using CEST-MRI at 11.7 T at a single offset of 1.2 ppm, showing the effect of accumulation of the contrast agent in the tumor, following an intravenous injection of 3-OMG (3 g/kg).
Results:
Tumor regions showed higher enhancement as compared to contralateral brain. The CEST contrast enhancement in the tumor region ranged from 2.5-5.0%, while it was 1.5-3.5% in contralateral brain. Previous D-glucose studies of the same tumor model showed an enhancement of 1.5-3.0% and 0.5-1.5% in tumor and contralateral brain, respectively. The signal gradually stabilized to a value that persisted for the length of the scan.
Conclusions:
3-OMG shows a CEST contrast enhancement that is approximately twice as much as that of D-glucose for a similar tumor line. In view of its suggested low toxicity and transport properties across the BBB, 3-OMG provides an option to be used as a nonmetallic contrast agent for evaluating brain tumors.
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