Androgen sensitivity of rat prostate carcinoma studied by31P NMR spectroscopy,1H MR imaging, and23Na MR imaging

Abstract

³¹P NMR spectroscopy, ¹H magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and ²³Na MR imaging were used to study the biochemical difference between nine hormone‐sensitive and six hormone‐resistant rat prostate cancers and to follow bioenergetic and morphologic changes subsequent to androgen deprivation in the hormone‐sensitive model. Neither ¹H nor ²³Na MR image characteristics were useful in distinguishing androgen‐sensitive from androgen‐resistant prostate cancer nor in identifying androgen deprivation. ³¹P NMR spectroscopy did detect bioenergetic differences between the hormone‐sensitive and hormone‐resistant tumors. Baseline spectra showed a significantly higher PCr/ATP ratio (mean 0.86 ± 0.09 SEM) for hormone‐sensitive tumors than for hormone‐resistant tumors (mean 0.26 ± 0.07 SEM). By 3 days after androgen deprivation (orchiectomy (castration)), PCr/ATP ratios had decreased noticeably; by 1 week, the decrease was statistically significant and remained so for the rest of the study (3 weeks). It appears that ³¹P NMR spectroscopy is useful in detecting androgen sensitivity of prostatic carcinoma. © 1989 Academic Press, Inc.