Abstract
Cystathionine (Cth) has emerged as a promising biomarker for identifying 1p/19q codeleted gliomas. However, little is known about the T
relaxation time constant of Cth in gliomas. The aim of this study was to measure the T
of Cth in vivo in glioma and compare it to the T
s of other metabolites at 3 T.
Ten participants with glioma were scanned at 3 T. Single-voxel proton PRESS spectra were acquired at four echo-times to determine the T
relaxation time constants of Cth, N-acetylaspartate, scyllo-inositol, total creatine, and total choline. Processed spectra were analyzed using LCModel, and the results were fitted using a mono-exponential function to estimate the T
relaxation time constants. T
of Cth was also measured using high-resolution NMR.
The T
of Cth varied across participants (42-128 ms, with a mean and standard deviation of 75 ± 24 ms). Additionally, T
relaxation time constants of Cth were shorter than those of singlets measured in glioma in the same participants. Distinct differences in T
between the CH and CH
proton groups in Cth were also observed both in vitro and in vivo.
Knowledge of the T
of Cth should improve its quantification and may help increase understanding of the intracellular environment in glioma cells, potentially providing insights into tumor metabolism in future studies.