PHOSPHORUS IMAGING AS A TOOL FOR STUDYING THE PH METABOLISM IN LIVINGINSECTS

Comparative P-31 NMR and H-1 NMR imaging experiments at submillimeter pixel resolution were carried out, using a specially constructed solen oidal RF coil. Chemical-shift imaging is used to provide pH maps from the midgut of a Lepidopteran larvae and to demonstrate physiological d ependence in the resulting images, The titration curve of pH versus ch emical shift for inorganic phosphate is extended beyond the ''normal'' biological range to the strong alkaline limit. (C) 1995 Academic Pres s, Inc.