Hyperpolarized 13C magnetic resonance evaluation of renal ischemia reperfusion injury in a murine model

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major risk factor for the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Persistent oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are implicated across diverse forms of AKI and in the transition to CKD. In this study, we applied hyperpolarized (HP) ¹³C dehydroascorbate (DHA) and ¹³C pyruvate magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to investigate the renal redox capacity and mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity, respectively, in a murine model of AKI at baseline and 7 days after unilateral ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). Compared with the contralateral sham‐operated kidneys, the kidneys subjected to IRI showed a significant decrease in the HP ¹³C vitamin C/(vitamin C + DHA) ratio, consistent with a decrease in redox capacity. The kidneys subjected to IRI also showed a significant decrease in the HP ¹³C bicarbonate/pyruvate ratio, consistent with impaired PDH activity. The IRI kidneys showed a significantly higher HP ¹³C lactate/pyruvate ratio at day 7 compared with baseline, although the ¹³C lactate/pyruvate ratio was not significantly different between the IRI and contralateral sham‐operated kidneys at day 7. Arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated significantly reduced perfusion in the IRI kidneys. Renal tissue analysis showed corresponding increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced PDH activity in the IRI kidneys. Our results show the feasibility of HP ¹³C MRS for the non‐invasive assessment of oxidative stress and mitochondrial PDH activity following renal IRI.