Abstract: | Glycolysis is a fundamental metabolic process in all organisms. Anomalies in glucose metabolism are linked to various pathological conditions. In particular, elevated aerobic glycolysis is a characteristic feature of rapidly growing cells. Glycolysis and the closely related pentose phosphate pathway can be monitored in real time by hyperpolarized 13C‐labeled metabolic substrates such as 13C‐enriched, deuterated D‐glucose derivatives, 2‐13C]‐D‐fructose, 2‐13C] dihydroxyacetone, 1‐13C]‐D‐glycerate, 1‐13C]‐D‐glucono‐δ‐lactone and 1‐13C] pyruvate in healthy and diseased tissues. Elevated glycolysis in tumors (the Warburg effect) was also successfully imaged using hyperpolarized U‐13C6, U‐2H7]‐D‐glucose, while the size of the preexisting lactate pool can be measured by 13C MRS and/or MRI with hyperpolarized 1‐13C]pyruvate. This review summarizes the application of various hyperpolarized 13C‐labeled metabolites to the real‐time monitoring of glycolysis and related metabolic processes in normal and diseased tissues. |