Rapid 13C NMR hyperpolarization delivered from para-hydrogen enables the low concentration detection and quantification of sugars

Monosaccharides, such as glucose and fructose, are important to life. In this work we highlight how the rapid delivery of improved C-13 detectability for sugars by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) can be achieved using the para-hydrogen based NMR hyperpolarization method SABRE-Relay (Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange-Relay). The significant C-13 signal enhancements of 250 at a high field of 9.4 T, and 3100 at a low field of 1 T, enable the detection of trace amounts of these materials as well as the quantification of their tautomeric makeup. Using studies on C-13 and H-2 isotopically labelled agents we demonstrate how hyperpolarization lifetime (T-1) values can be extended, and how singlet states with long lifetimes can be created. The precise quantification of d-glucose-C-13(6)-d(7) at the millimolar concentration level is shown to be possible within minutes in conjunction with a linear hyperpolarized response as a function of concentration. In addition to the measurements using labelled materials, low concentration detection is also illustrated for millimolar samples with natural abundance C-13 where isomeric form quantification can be achieved with a single transient.