Ex vivo HR-MAS Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Normal and Malignant Human Renal Tissues

The aim of the present study was to examine themetabolic profile of normal and tumoral renal tissues by ex vivohigh resolution magic angle spinning magnetic resonancespectroscopy (HR-MAS MRS). Patients and Methods: Fivepatients, three affected by clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC)and two by papillary RCC, were examined. A radicalnephrectomy was performed in each. In all patients, fresh tissuesamples taken from normal cortex, normal medulla and tumorwere collected and analyzed by mono-dimensional HR-MASMRS. Results: The spectra of human normal cortex andmedulla showed the presence of differently distributed organicosmolytes as markers of a physiological renal condition. Themarked decrease or disappearance of these metabolites and thehigh lipid content (triglycerides and cholesteryl esters) is typicalof clear cell RCC, while papillary RCC are characterized by theabsence of lipids and very high amounts of taurine. Conclusion:This paper demonstrates that ex vivo HR-MAS MRS is a viableand powerful means of probing for molecular information inhuman normal and tumoral renal tissues. This research willconstitute the basis for a biochemical classification of renalneoplastic pathologies, especially for RCCs, which can be thusevaluated by in vivo MRS for clinical purposes. Moreover, thesedata may contribute to a better knowledge of the molecularprocesses for the basis of the onset of renal carcinogenesis.