Morphometric analysis demonstrates that metabolically active cardiac triglycerides are 1H NMR visible.

The relationship between myocardial triglyceride content and 1H NMR visible fatty acid resonance intensity was investigated. Hearts from rats fed a 20% rapeseed oil diet contained markedly increased levels of triglycerides as judged by thin layer chromatographic analysis. This elevation in cardiac triglycerides was associated with sharp increases in the cell volume occupied by lipid droplets and in 1H NMR visible fatty acid resonances. Spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times of the 1H NMR visible fatty acid resonances from myocardium of rapeseed oil-fed rats were similar in value to those measured for neat triolein. Additionally, the fatty acids constituting these enhanced 1H NMR visible resonances were metabolically active. Perfusion of triglyceride enriched hearts in the presence or absence of glucose caused a time-dependent decrease in the intensity of their 1H NMR visible fatty acid resonances. In contrast, perfusion with glucose+acetate essentially prevented this time-dependent decrease in 1H NMR visible fatty acid resonances. Morphometric analysis of these hearts demonstrated that the decrease in 1H NMR resonance intensity correlated with changes in the cell volume of triglyceride-enriched lipid droplets. These results demonstrate that metabolically active stores of cardiac fatty acids, presumably triglycerides, are 1H NMR visible. Further, they indicate the possible utility of 1H NMR spectroscopy in the future study of myocardial triglyceride metabolism.