Dissociation between lactate accumulation and acidosis in middle cerebral artery-occluded rats assessed by 31P and 1H NMR metabolic images under a 2-T magnetic field.

The relationships among tissue edema, lactate accumulation, and intracellular pH in middle cerebral artery (MCA)-occluded rats were investigated with multiecho 1H magnetic resonance imaging and spatially resolved metabolic images constructed by 1H and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shift imaging (CSI). For the effective and sensitive detection of NMR signals from the brain, outer volume suppression (OVS), reduced k-space sampling and proton irradiation were incorporated into the CSI sequences. The consecutive three measurements of calculated T2 image, lactate image, and pH image which were required for 3.75 h were repeated for four cycles of 1-16 h after MCA occlusion. Tissue edema and lactate accumulation in the infarcted region were gradually and consistently increased during the 15-h observation period. In contrast, severe acidosis was already detected on the first pH image (2-4.7 h after MCA occlusion); thereafter, the degree of acidosis became milder and showed no further progression. The dissociation between the time courses of the lactate accumulation and pH decrease was clearly demonstrated by the NMR metabolic images. Acid-base balance in cerebral infarction might be affected not only by lactate production but also by complicated interactions with tissue edema and some other factors.