In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Hyperpolarized [1- C]Pyruvate and Proton Density Fat Fraction in a Guinea Pig Model of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Development After Life-Long Western Diet Consumption.

Background: Alterations in glycolysis are central to the increasing incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), highlighting a need for in vivo, non-invasive technologies to understand the development of hepatic metabolic aberrations.

Purpose: To use hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to investigate the effects of a chronic, life-long exposure to the Western diet (WD) in an animal model resulting in NAFLD; to investigate the hypothesis that exposure to the WD will result in NAFLD in association with altered pyruvate metabolism.

Study Type: Prospective.