Proton NMR studies of tissue water phases during chemical carcinogenesis in rats.

The water content, relative ratio of bound water, mean 1H NMR spin-lattice relaxation time T1, and T1 of bound water fraction were studied on rat liver during the course of cancer induction by diethylnitrosamine. Using the FETS model proposed by Fung, the results were discussed according to histology. Liver T1 increase was correlated with water content and a regular decrease of T1b was observed during the course of hepatocarcinogenesis, associated with a shift of the position of the minimum of T1b toward the negative temperatures. A biphasic decay of T1b was also noticed in the presence of hepatocarcinoma nodules.