In-vivo measurement of hepatic lipid composition with J-difference-editing-MRS

Motivation: Hepatic lipid composition is important for diagnosis and prognosis of many hepatic diseases and for studying lipid metabolism. Goal(s): This study aimed to apply J-difference-edited-MRS (JDE-MRS) for better measurement of hepatic lipid composition and evaluated its effectiveness in detecting lipid profile changes among metabolic disorders. Approach: Hepatic lipid composition was measured and compared among healthy, NAFLD and T2DM human subjects using JDE-MRS under 3T, as well as among normal, obese and T2DM rat models using conventional MRS under 7T. Results: The JDE-MRS application in human liver is reliable and the results shows differences between different groups, with similar results in rats. Impact: This study demonstrates the feasibility of applying JDE-MRS in human liver, which can be used to quantify hepatic unsaturated lipid profile and can provide a reliable biomarker for clinical investigations of lipid metabolism in hepatic diseases.