Biological 1H NMR spectroscopy

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) is a powerful analytical method used to identify and quantitate chemical compounds. In recent years, it has been used to study rates of metabolism in microbes, isolated perfused tissues, intact animals, and human beings. This review highlights some of the more recent biological applications of 1H NMR in the study of metabolic pathophysiology in animals and man. 1H NMR can rapidly analyze complex mixtures of metabolites found in body fluid and biopsy specimens. In vivo 1H NMR methods can measure intracellular pH, a wide variety of metabolites, tissue perfusion, and rates of metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds. Using 13C labeled compounds or magnetization transfer techniques metabolic fluxes may be measured in vivo during virtually all normal and abnormal physiological conditions.