Targeted Metabolomics with Quantitative Dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization.

Metabolite profiles and their isotopomer distributions can be studied noninvasively in complex mixtures with NMR. The advent of hyperpolarized 13C-NMR using quantitative dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (qdDNP) and isotope enrichment add sensitivity to such metabolic studies, enabling mapping and quantification of metabolic pathways and networks. Here we describe a sample preparation method, including cell incubation, extraction, and signal enhancement, for reproducible and quantitative analysis of hyperpolarized 13C-NMR metabolite spectra. We further illustrate how qdDNP can be applied to gain metabolic insights into living cells.