What is NMR Spectroscopy? A Preliminary Insight into NMR Spectroscopy

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a very powerful tool for the structure determination of biomolecules and natural compounds, for the study of tissue extracts or intact tissues, and for the obtainment of detailed three-dimensional maps of the human body and organs. In the field of biomedicine, the two areas of NMR are represented by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and by the multi-branched Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), where MRS is the acronym utilised in place of NMR. MRI uses the strong signal from water protons (1H) to provide detailed anatomical maps and has proven to be an indispensable tool for both researchers and clinicians, but its specificity in defining the pathology is limited to only some diseases. NMR spectroscopy in its one- and two-dimensional version can be utilised to detect and assign the resonances observed in in-vitro extracts and ex-vivo biopsy samples, helping in disentangling the complex spectral pattern due to signal overlapping. This represent the first step in the individuation of the NMR biochemical markers representative of the healthy or pathological state of the tissue or organ. The results can then utilised at diagnostic and prognostic level in in-vitro and rx-vivo analyses. They also provide the rationale basis for the interpretation of in-vivo MRS studies.