Water phases in rat striated muscles as determined by T2 proton NMR relaxation times

The spin echo decay curve of NMR protons in in-vitro rat muscle is two or three exponential as Hazlewood demonstrated in 1974. This author hypothesized that the longer T2 component is extracellular water and that the medium T2 is intracellular water. Our purpose was to test the histological significance of these two T2. Variations of water contents in two types of rat muscles were induced by electrical stimulation and osmotic diuresis and their incidence on the decomposition of the proton spin echo signal analysed. Decomposition of signal in resting muscles revealed two phases with T2 values similar to the Hazlewood's: a short phase, S, with T2 of 40 ms (20 MHz, 276°K) representing 90–97% of the total signal and a long one, L, with T2 of 100–120 ms representing 3–10% of the signal. Increasing vascular volume appeared to increase the percentage of phase (L) in the total signal. Osmotic diuresis decreased the volume of the phase (S) and increased the volume of the phase (L). The use of Gd-DTPA allowed to differentiate the vascular compartment: Gd DTPA decreased in a great extent the T2 values of phase (L) and in low extent the T2 values of phases (S). From these results, it appears that phase (L) could correspond to vascular volume and that phase (S) would be interstitial and intracellular water. Elements of comparison with classical methods for determination of water compartmentation in tissues are given.