Hyperpolarized ⁶Li as a probe for hemoglobin oxygenation level

Hyperpolarization by dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is a versatile technique to dramatically enhance the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal intensity of insensitive long-T₁ nuclear spins such as ⁶Li. The ⁶Li longitudinal relaxation of lithium ions in aqueous solutions strongly depends on the concentration of paramagnetic species, even if they are present in minute amounts. We herein demonstrate that blood oxygenation can be readily detected by taking advantage of the ⁶Li signal enhancement provided by dissolution DNP, together with the more than 10% decrease in ⁶Li longitudinal relaxation as a consequence of the presence of paramagnetic deoxyhemoglobin.