Multi-Field Relaxation Dynamics of Parahydrogen-Hyperpolarized Propane Gas MRI Contrast Agent

@article{oladun2026multifield,
  title = {{Multi-Field Relaxation Dynamics of Parahydrogen-Hyperpolarized Propane Gas MRI Contrast Agent}},
  author = {Clementinah Oladun and Nuwandi M. Ariyasingha and Anna Samoilenko and Md Raduanul H. Chowdhury and Zhongjie Shi and Kehuan Luo and Sidhartha Tan and Oleg G. Salnikov and Dudari B. Burueva and Alba Xhupi and Majd Suleiman and Jerome McCreadie and Larisa M. Kovtunova and Igor V. Koptyug and Juri G. Gelovani and Panayiotis Nikolaou and Jessica Ettedgui and Rolf E. Swenson and Kazutoshi Yamamoto and Norikazu Koyasu and Murali C. Krishna and Joseph W. Plummer and Adrienne E. Campbell-Washburn and Michael J. Barlow and Boyd M. Goodson and Eduard Y. Chekmenev},
  journal = {The Journal of Physical Chemistry. a},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1021/acs.jpca.6c05094},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.6c05094},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Multi-Field Relaxation Dynamics of Parahydrogen-Hyperpolarized Propane Gas MRI Contrast Agent
AU  - Clementinah Oladun
AU  - Nuwandi M. Ariyasingha
AU  - Anna Samoilenko
AU  - Md Raduanul H. Chowdhury
AU  - Zhongjie Shi
AU  - Kehuan Luo
AU  - Sidhartha Tan
AU  - Oleg G. Salnikov
AU  - Dudari B. Burueva
AU  - Alba Xhupi
AU  - Majd Suleiman
AU  - Jerome McCreadie
AU  - Larisa M. Kovtunova
AU  - Igor V. Koptyug
AU  - Juri G. Gelovani
AU  - Panayiotis Nikolaou
AU  - Jessica Ettedgui
AU  - Rolf E. Swenson
AU  - Kazutoshi Yamamoto
AU  - Norikazu Koyasu
AU  - Murali C. Krishna
AU  - Joseph W. Plummer
AU  - Adrienne E. Campbell-Washburn
AU  - Michael J. Barlow
AU  - Boyd M. Goodson
AU  - Eduard Y. Chekmenev
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
JO  - The Journal of Physical Chemistry. a
DO  - 10.1021/acs.jpca.6c05094
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.6c05094
AB  - Hyperpolarized gas-phase MRI is an emerging diagnostic modality, with the clinical utility of hyperpolarized Xe-129 gas for functional lung imaging recently supported by FDA regulatory approval. However, the requirement for dedicated multi-nuclear hardware and complex, centralized production logistics remains a significant translational hurdle. Here, we investigate the longitudinal relaxation dynamics of hyperpolarized propane gasa promising, proton-frequency alternative produced via heterogeneous parahydrogen-induced polarization (HET-PHIP)across a wide range of magnetic field strengths: 0.35 T, 0.55 T, 3 T, and 7 T MRI scanners. In the imaging studies, gradient-echo MRI pulse sequence variants with small flip angle excitation radio-frequency pulses were utilized to record a series of scans to monitor the effective decay of the hyperpolarized state of propane gas in spherical plastic phantoms and excised rabbit lungs. We demonstrate that the effective lifetime (characterized by the constant of a mono-exponential signal decay T d) of hyperpolarized propane is strongly field-dependent, exhibiting a marked decrease from 1.51 ± 0.04 s (0.35 T) to 0.59 ± 0.02 s (0.55 T) to 0.54 ± 0.02 s (3 T) to 0.23 ± 0.01 s (7 T) in phantom studies using an RF flip angle of 5°. This trend is attributed to the presence of partially retained long-lived spin states at the low field of 0.35 T, which are quenched at higher field strengths as the spin system transitions from the strong-coupling to the weak-coupling regime. Moreover, the unfavorable spin-rotation dominated relaxation results in a further decrease of T d at higher magnetic fields, especially evident at 7 T. Furthermore, we assess the relaxation behavior in excised rabbit lungs at 0.35 T, reporting a T d value of 0.68 ± 0.12 s. This accelerated relaxation of hyperpolarized propane in the lung compared to phantom models is likely driven by susceptibility-induced dephasing and increased surface-to-volume interactions within the alveolar architecture. The results using hyperpolarized propane were also compared with imaging studies using hyperpolarized Xe-129 gas in the excised rabbit lungs at 0.35 T, yielding an effective 129Xe T 1 of 11 ± 2 s. These results provide a fundamental biophysical characterization of hyperpolarized propane and underscore its potential as a highly accessible contrast agent for regional pulmonary function mapping.
SN  - 1089-5639
SN  - 1520-5215
ER  -