DETERMINATION OF DEOXYMYOGLOBIN CHANGES DURING GRADED MYOCARDIAL-ISCHEMIA - AN IN-VIVO H-1-NMR SPECTROSCOPY STUDY

H-1 NMR spectroscopy was used to detect the proximal histidyl N-delta proton signal of deoxymyoglobin from canine hearts in vivo during grad ed myocardial ischemia, The NMR signal intensity provided an indicator of intracellular oxygenation in myocardium. The relationship between the myocardial blood flow and the deoxymyoglobin concentration was suc cessfully measured during resting, partial, and complete coronary arte ry occlusion conditions, The results demonstrate the feasibility to de tect deoxymyoglobin using a 1H NMR spectroscopy technique in living he arts for the first time and the possibility to use this technique for investigating myocardial oxidative metabolism nondestructively and rep etitively.